Bleach: Redone
by Soggyfrenchfries
Summary: What if the Soul Reaper whose powers Ichigo received was...Orihime? Ichigo finds strange happiness in the subsequent days, ignorant that there might be more to her than he thinks. Ichihime. **Chap 7: A Grand Reunion**. New revelations shatter him.
1. That Fateful Meeting

Summary: What if the Soul Reaper whose powers Ichigo received was...Orihime? Ichigo finds strange happiness in the subsequent days, ignorant that there might be more to her than he thought. Ichihime.

DISCLAIMER: Don't own. Purely fan-made for entertainment purposes.

A/N: To start off, I'd like to make a few things clear. This story will be MUCH shorter than what bleach is now. No Hueco Mundo Arc. I WILL NOT be describing in detail, any of the fights which have already happened in the anime / manga. This fanfic will be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT after the initial transfer of powers. This is NOT a simple cut-copy-paste in the case of the roles of Rukia and Orihime. Perhaps only a mention of Rukia, and an appearance in later chapters. They will both retain their original personalities, and there will be situations which do not occur in canon. Some characters will be in a different situations.

Yep, theres gonna be lots of Ichihime. ROMANCE is what I love to write.

**This is a short prologue. I understand why most may be sceptical of such a fic, but I encourage readers to read until at least Chapter 4 before forming an opinion.**

You can expect drastic changes AFTER she gives him the powers.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

**Soggyfrenchfries Presents**

**Bleach: Redone**

**Chapter 1:**

**That Fateful Meeting**

Karakura Town

Midnight

Thursday

The night was silent, the stars twinkling in the dark sea which was the sky.

A dark figure could be seen against the white backdrop of the moon. Dark robes flowed behind them as they swept past the pure white beauty. They dived down, leaving behind the lit background. The figure came to land stealthily on a roof. Black butterflies surrounded them as they raised their head and light of the moon illuminated the face of a young woman.

Her beauty was phenomenal. Burnt orange locks were swept up in the midnight breeze, and the long lashes parted slowly to reveal tender grey orbs.

She took in the sight of the moon with reverence, her eyes full of admiration and respect, as though looking at an idol. On her back was a sword, a metallic blue sheath, gleaming iridescently in the moonlight.

She snapped out of her reverie, and withdrew a parchment from her sleeve. Studying it, she felt a jolt.

She took off once again into the darkness, with stealth and speed towards the presence which was in her blood to feel. It was a silent scream, echoing through the night without anyone able to lend an ear.

Except her.

..  
..

7:30 PM

Friday

A bloody body was lying on the road. The victim's companions surrounded the culprit, itching for a fight.

"What the hell? You appear out of nowhere and kick Yama, and on top of that you want us to get out of here?"

"You wanna DIE? Huh?"

The only reply to these angry words is an annoyed glare from the offender who scratches his orange hair arrogantly.

"Say something, you!" One of them rushes toward him, his fingers curled into a fist. Ichigo coolly kicks him in the face, making him collapse on the ground.

The rest of them watch this exchange in horror.

"Crap, Toshi-bro's down!"

"I-I don't know what's going on, but this is dangerous. . ."

"I've never seen such irrational violence!"

"That guy. . .If we fight him, we'll be killed for sure!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!" Ichigo yells, a vein pulsing in his temple. He stomps on Toshi's head, who whimpers in defeat. The rest of the gang members freeze. "ALL YOU GUYS LOOK OVER THERE!", he says, pointing near a lamppost. A single flower vase lies on the ground, it's contents spilled when it was supposedly knocked over.

"QUESTION! What the heck is that?" Ichigo points to one of the boys. "You over there, the stinky-looking one!"

The fateful stinker in question seems taken aback. "Huh? M-me?" _stinky-looking?_ "U-Um, an offering. . to the kid who died here recently?"

"GREAT ANSWER!" Stinker is awarded with a spinning kick to his face. He falls to the ground, and the remaining punks gather around him, asking him if he'll live.

"QUESTION TWO! Then why is the vase. . ." Ichigo's face is menacing enough for them to forget their injured friends and try planning their own escape. "Knocked over?"

"Th-that's cuz we knocked it over. . ." There is a collective gulp. "Skate-boarding?"

"I see. . ." Ichigo adopts a wide, half crazed grin, and points behind him in the direction of a transluscent figure young girl who has seemingly just appeared, one side of her face covered in blood. Her feet aren't touching the ground. "Then shouldn't you APOLOGIZE to her?"

"KYAAAAAA!" They take off in a run, horrified at seeing a girl who should've been long dead.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorryyy!"

"I won't do it again, I promise!"

Ichigo and the girl watch their figures disappear down the road, fading from view.

"If we scare them this much, they probably won't come around here anymore. . ." Ichigo said, his expression and tone of voice implying that he didn't care either way. "Sorry 'bout that, using you this way. . ."

"No, I'm the one who asked you to chase them away, " said the spirit. "I have to cooperate at least this much."

"Well then, I'm off," Ichigo said, turning around and walking down the road. "I'll bring you new flowers soon."

The girl looks at his back as he walks away. "Thanks a lot, mister. Now I can spend my time quietly."

Ichigo waves back at her without turning around. "You're welcome, now hurry up and go to heaven!"

..  
..

_Yes, I am a guy who can see ghosts._

_My father is a neighborhood doctor. Saving people's lives, not saving them. . .I don't know if it's because of that, but, as long as I can remember, I've been able to see ghosts._

"I'm home!" Ichigo opens the front door. Before he can walk in, however-

"YOU'RE LATE!"

Ichigo falls to the ground, rubbing his face where his father had struck him. He looks up to see the old man towering over him. "What time do you think it is, you delinquent son? You know that dinner is every night at 7!"

Ichigo recovers and stand up to yell right back at his old man. "YOU! Is that how you greet your son who has just returned from performing a serious exorcism?"

"Silence! No matter the reason, to he who disrupts this household's iron harmony, only a punishment of blood can be rendered!"

"Or WHAT? Are you implicitly bragging again that only you can touch ghosts or talk to them!

"I'm jealous!"

"SHUT UP! It's not like I wanted to be born this way!"

"Oh, stop it both of you," Yuzu says, upset that dinner is being delayed. "The food's getting cold~"

"Leave 'em alone, Yuzu," Karin says, her mouth full. "Another Bowl."

_For as long as I can remember, I've been able to see ghosts._

_Just like I can see any other ordinary human being._

"Forget it! I'm sleeping!" Ichigo goes upstairs and slams the door to his bedroom.

"Oh well, he's gone." Karin said, looking after her brother unconcerned. "It's your fault, dad."

"W-why?"

"Ichigo's had a hard time lately!" Said Yuzu, yelling at her father. "He's in a pinch because more ghosts have been coming around than before."

"What!" Isshin says, disbelieving. "He talks to you about things like that!"

"I'll take dinner to his room later."

"That kid, he doesn't tell me any of his troubles..."

"Of course," said Karin, carelessly. "Even I wouldn't talk about my problems to a father over 40 who has such childish communication skills."

..  
..

Ichigo steps into his room, annoyed at his father for being such a freak. This family had been a mess since his mother died. . .

He felt something flutter past his ear.

"A black butterfly? Where'd it come in from-"

Ichigo froze as his eyes fell upon a young woman who had appeared on his desk. Her face held no expression, and she looked straight ahead. She took a step forward, and her foot met with air. Her face met with the floor a moment later.

She jumped up, wearing a pained expression and rubbing her head. "Kyaa! I'm so embarrassed! Here I was, trying to look cool, and I fell on my face!" She shut her eyes and shook her head rapidly. "All Right! Off to a new start. And it's not like anybody can see me, any way. . ." Reassured, she opened her eyes and assessed her surroundings.

She screamed loudly when she saw Ichigo staring at her. She spun around to look behind her, but there was just plain wall. She turned to Ichigo again, who was staring at her in silence. "It can't be! I'm imagining things..." She took a deep breath and regained her composure. "Ah, it's nearby!"

"It's nearby, my ass, you cosplaying freak!" Ichigo yelled. He had seen a lot of crazy things in his life, but this took the cake. "You're a pretty confident burglar, thinking you're invisible or cheap shit like that!"

The auburn-haired women watched him with wide eyes and a dazed expression. "You can see me?"

"Huh?" Now Ichigo was the confused one. "Of course I can see you. . ."

Just then the door was opened and Ichigo was hit hard in his back by his annoyed father. "Be quiet Ichigo! Don't make a ruckus on the 2nd floor!"

"You be quiet!" Ichigo said, his anger aroused yet again at his crazy dad. He hit him in the face, throwing him on the ground. "How can I not make a ruckus!"

Standing up straight and pointing toward the girl, he said, "Look at this chick! What the hell is up with the security system in this house?"

"Hmm?" Isshin stopped attacking his son for long enough to look at the direction he pointed at. "What do you mean, look. . ." He scratched his beard, confused. "Look at what?"

"Huh?" Ichigo didn't believe it. His father must need glasses. . . "I'm talking about this samurai-costumed-"

"Um, Ichigo-san?" she said, having picked up his name when his father had attacked him. "He can't see me. I. . .I am a soul reaper."

A/N:

I know it's short. I just wanted to publish it before I lost the guts to do so.

I'm actually really nervous. This is my first published fanfic, so I don't know what to expect. I'm sorry for boring you guys, after all this IS just a basic recap with a few changes.

This is going to be hard to write, but I'm going to do my very best! Don't you expect any half-assed work from me!

I already have plans for Uryu. . .kukukukuku...

I might not have the will to go through with this if I don't get any positive feedback or encouragement...FROM YOU GUYS! SO REVIEW!

Constructive criticism is welcome.


	2. Explain Yourself

**A/N: Does anybody even read these?**

**A million thanks to **_Caellach Tiger Eye_**_, _who alerted me about the CRAP I did by publishing the 1st AND 2nd chapters together as the 2nd Chapter. Huh, I guess this is where my inexperience in ff is GLARINGLY obvious.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm on a roll! Or, like Taka-san from Prince of Tennis would say every time he picked up a racket, "I'M ON FIYAH!"**

**Well, it's "BURNING!" in the jap version, but whatever...**

**Is there anybody who doesn't know that Ichigo means Strawberry? But _this_ Ichigo's name is written in such a way that it means...guardian, or something.**

**Chips!**

**CHAPTER 2 : Explain Yourself**

As soon as his father ambled out of his room, Ichigo turned to the woman in front of him. Despite the sword on her back and her claims of being some sort of a reaper, she looks no more menacing than a kitten. He knows not where to start. Luckily(?) for him, she speaks up first.

"I like strawberries!"

If he had been angry before, then his current state was positively lucid. The thought of explaining the origin of his name to her crossed his mind, but he had to know who exactly she was and what the hell she was doing in his bedroom, cosplaying.

Ichigo took a deep breath and spoke.

"You better fucking explain yourself, soul reaper."

..

..

..

She ran as fast as she could, but it was not enough.

_It_ caught up to her.

She is scared to look behind her, at that hellish monster who wants to have her for dinner. He feasts on souls, and she is one.

A crashing pain down her spine. She is pinned on the ground, blood splattered everywhere. She has lost hope for herself, but she prays that the orange-haired boy who helped her have a little peace will be able to avoid confrontation with this monster.

She is devoured.

The lip-licking monster has a hole where it's heart should be, and an appetite which has not even been tickled by the young soul he has just had.

"Closer..." The voice is that of a demon, with needles down the it's throat. "Stronger...soul..."

The girl had been the entree, and now it was time for the main course. It moaned with hunger.

"So...close..."

..

..

..

"So let me get this straight," Ichigo said, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. "You're a soul reaper, and you come from a place called Soul Society, to exterminate an evil spirit." He sighed. "OK. I'll believe you!"

The woman breathed a sigh of relief. "Ehehehe, thank God you did. I thought you would brush it aside like everybody else does when I talk about the little blue men-"

"LIKE HELL I'D BELIEVE THAT!" Ichigo yelled, a vein pulsing at his temple. The vein seemed to pop up a lot these days...

Her face dropped. "I'm sorry...It was rude of me to expect you to believe something like that so easily..." She turned away, looking depressed. "I'll be going now...sorry to waste your time..."

She climbed onto his window.

Ichigo was surprised that she didn't try harder to convince him. Maybe he should hear her out a little more? After all, the old man couldn't see her, so she obviously wasn't human...

"Wait."

She back onto his bedroom floor in one quick movement, with a huge grin on her face. "Yes, Ichigo-san?"

Ichigo sweat dropped. Had she known he wouldn't let her go so easily? What the hell went on in this girl's head? "What would you say if, and I say _if_, I believed you?"

She plonked herself down on his bed. "Let me give you a demonstration!" She reached over her shoulder and grabbed the tasseled hilt of her sword. In one smooth movement she withdrew it.

Ichigo stared.

It was blue.

The glossy scabbard had been blue, and certainly pleasant to look at, but couldn't even be compared to the sword itself.

The curved blade gleamed iridescently, the many shades of blue seemingly melting into one another.

The crossguard was midnight blue, and looked magnificent with the gleaming silver hilt, the only part of the entire sword which was a color other than blue. The woven tassel on the hilt was a Celtic cross.

The soul reaper turned to face the wall against Ichigo's bed, her back facing him. She grasped the hilt with both hands.

Ichigo panicked. "What the hell? Don't just go slicing up other people's -" A brooding young man appeared through the wall.

A soul.

He brightened up at the sight of an attractive young woman with a sword. Raising an eyebrow, he eyed her shamelessly. "_You_ can drag me to hell anytime you like." He held out his wrists. "Bring on the shackles, baby. I'm your slave."

Ichigo peered around to see how she would reply to the pervert. She was smiling. "Mister, you aren't going to hell! I'm sending you to a place known as Soul Society. It's very peaceful there!"

The soul looked heartbroken. He began to sob. "So this is where the star-crossed lovers part...no matter, babe! I'll definitely see you again! I swear this upon my manhood!"

Ichigo sweat dropped.. _Should he really be risking his manhood on such a thing? _

She raised her sword, but the soul sobbed louder. "Before we part...I have one last request! After that, I'll burn in hell peacefully!"

"Mister, you're not going to burn in hell!" she said reproachfully. Lowering her sword, she asked, "But, what is it? I'll still try to help you."

"Tell me your name, oh armed goddess."

"Ehh..." She was disappointed. "Is that all?" She smiled suddenly, and raised her sword once more. "My name, is Orihime." She brought it down on his head. Ichigo was surprised to see that instead of the blade, she struck the soul's forehead with the pommel. A _kanji_ appeared on it's forehead. A bright blue light shone, and within a matter of seconds, the soul disappeared. A black butterfly, not unlike the one Ichigo had seen before, took it's place.

It flew away.

She reached over her back and sheathed her sword. Jumping off the bed and turning to Ichigo, she said, "That is called a Soul Burial."

It dawned on Ichigo that this soul reaper was not completely unattractive. But who knew, maybe this Soul Society place was full of perfect-looking weirdos?

"How old are you, anyway?" He blurted out. She didn't look older than himself, and certainly acted ten times more childish. On top of that, she ran around with a sword, turning ghosts into butterflies!

"Ichigo-san, it's rude to ask a lady's age!" She thought about it for a moment, and said, "All I can tell you is, I'm older than I look!"

Ichigo looked away and mumbled, "Lady, my ass...and isn't it rude to not answer one's question properly?"

Orihime looks at him questioningly. "I'm sorry, Ichigo-san, I didn't catch that."

He palms his face. "Nothing at all, Soul Reaper."

Her face fell. "It's not Soul Reaper...It's Orihime Inoue."

Ichigo didn't know what to say. "Ichigo Kurosaki," he finally said, gruffly.

"Kurosaki...kun? You are younger than me, so it is appropriate, _right_?"

"I guess..." Personally, he thought that 'Kurosaki-kun' was much too long, but who was he to judge?

..

..

..

"So, there are two types of spirits," Orihime told Ichigo. She was wearing spectacles and had done her hair into a professional-looking bun. In one hand was her sword. She had unstrapped it from her back, and the scabbard and strap lay in a corner of his room. Ichigo sat Indian-style in front of her, scowling more than usual. He was angry at being treated as the young apprentice, while she filled the role of the knowledgeable S_ensei_.

More than that, he was annoyed at the two... _socks_ in front of him.

"Hey, don't go through my stuff!" He had yelled at her when she went searching in his drawers. Orihime had a determined look on her face, going through a drawer at a time. She had pumped her fist in the air when she opened the right one. Ichigo looked. It was his sock drawer. He couldn't deny the relief he felt when he saw that it wasn't his _underwear_ one. "Success!"

Now he sat in front of her, looking queasily at the socks on the floor in front of him.

One was badly torn and discolored. She had withdrawn this from the very depths of the drawer, at the back.

The other was new, Orihime had opened the still-packed pair and put the other one away.

"Attention!" She brought down the flat side of her blade on the floor. The socks jumped as though in fear.

His temper was getter hotter by the second. "Dammit! Are you trying to destroy my house? And what the hell is up with the _socks_?"

She slammed the sword on the floor again. "Don't question your _Sensei's_ teaching methods!"

Ichigo held his face in his hands. She was crazy!

She smiled sweetly now. "Lets get back to the subject, shall we?" She pointed her sword at the socks. "There are two types of spirits," she said seriously. Pointing at the new sock, she said, "The most common spirits are generally called Wholes. They are newly dead spirits. Just like your newly opened socks!" she looked pleased with herself. "So, my job in this case is to send them to soul society through the soul burial you just witnessed, where they have lots of other souls...or socks to play with! They won't be lonely anymore! Any questions so far?"

"Yeah. How come your analogy sucks so much?"

"Kyaa! Kurosaki-kun is so mean..." Her face fell. "I'll be going then..." She picked up her scabbard and climbed onto the window. She put one foot forward when-

"HEY! Don't just go leaving midway through a lecture!"

She jumped back into the room and dropped her scabbard. She smiled brightly. "So, the other types of spirits are call Hollows. They're evil!" She slammed the sword down on the torn sock. "They eat Wholes and living beings alike! They're evil!" She poked the poor sock with the tip of her blade. "In their case, my job is to..." She paused and looked at Ichigo. "What do you do with socks you can't wear anymore?"

"Err...you...throw them away?"

She looked disappointed. "No, that's not right either..." She thought for a moment. "I know! You exterminate them!"

_Exterminate your socks?_

Orihime was nodding to herself. "Yes, and in exactly the same way, I exterminate Hollows! Got that?"

"Well, that depends-"

A hellish voice interrupts him. It is a long scream, like King Kong moaning in hunger.

Ichigo froze in horror. "What the hell was that?"

The Soul Reaper stared at him blankly. "What was what?"

"Don't you 'what was what' me! You know damn well what I'm talking about! That huge voice just now-"

Orihime gives him a strange look. "What voice? I didn't-"

It came again.

This time, she heard it.

"Oh no...A hollow..." Her spectacles were thrown away, and her sword suddenly rigid. She was in battle mode.

"KYAAAA!"'

Ichigo swore loudly. "That's Yuzu's voice!" He jumped up and made a movement in the direction of the bedroom door.

FWIP

His way was blocked by her sword. Her hand outstretched, Orihime showed a different side of herself. "You aren't going anywhere, Kurosaki-kun," She said, her eyes determined, her features tight. "I'll take care of it."

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" He roared. "THIS IS MY FAMILY WHO'S IN DANGER HERE!" In a rage, he knocked her sword away. "DON'T GET IN MY WAY!" He ran across the room and through the door. He came to a sudden stop when he was met with the sight of his sister Karin, soaked in blood and dragging herself across the floor. "Ichi...go?" She was in pain, but she looked immensely relieved when she saw her brother safe and sound. "Thank God you're okay..."

"KARIN!" He rushed to her side.

She coughed a little. "So suddenly...blood started pouring out of dad's back...Yuzu and I were attacked by something huge...I came...to warn you...I don't know what it is...I could see it, a little...Dad and Yuzu couldn't see it at all..." She coughed again. "Ichigo...before it sees you...you have to get away..."

"KARIN!" He watched in horror as her eyes closed and her body went limp.

Orihime watched these proceeding with anguish. She had failed at her job. She was supposed to protect these people, and here she was, watching them getting hurt before her very eyes. She bent down to examine Karin. "She's only unconscious. Her soul is still-" She raised her head to catch a glimpse of Ichigo running down the stairs. "NO! KUROSAKI-KUN!"

..

..

..

The living room was wrecked. There was a huge hole in the wall. His father lay in a pool of blood in one corner.

And outside, through the wreckage of the wall, he could see a monster. Over twelve feet tall it stood, with dark skin and a white mask covering it's face.

_So this is...a Hollow!_

The monster was not was Ichigo had expected. Who could blame him, after all it had been compared to his old and torn sock...

But then, he noticed his other sister clutched tightly in the monster's hand. "YUZU!" He roared, his eyes shifting through the wrecked living room for a weapon. He took a deep gulp and tried to calm down. His mind wasn't working.

He looked at Yuzu again. Her face was covered with blood and tears. She saw him arrive. "Ichi...go..."

Ichigo couldn't take anymore. Pushing his fear at the back of his mind, he grabbed a baseball bat and ran at the monster who held his sister captive.

The monster simply raised it's empty hand and knocked him away. Ichigo flew though the air and landed on the floor. He couldn't move. The Hollow came closer, each step resounding in the house. He could do nothing but watch.

It raised the hand which clutched Yuzu.

Ichigo's heart skipped a beat.

SLICE

Orihime had cut the hand. Blood splattered everywhere.

Yuzu was released. Her limp body dropped down and was caught by Ichigo, while the Hollow smashed it's surroundings in pain.

Ichigo poked his sister frantically. "Yuzu! Are you okay?"

"Be alert, Kurosaki-kun! None of your family members have had their soul eaten yet!" She moved in front of Ichigo, a shield between him and the Hollow. She grasped her sword in both her hands, spread her legs and leaned forward.

"W-wait a minute! Don't Hollows attack people to eat their souls?" Ichigo was confused. "Then what did it attack my family for?"

She gave him a sidelong glance. "Do you really want to know, kurosaki-kun?" She said, her voice suggesting he was better off not knowing. "Hollows wander searching for souls with high spiritual concentration. Because of that, humans are sometimes attacked."

Ichigo's pupils dilated. "What the hell do you mean..."

She turned to face him, dropping her stance.

"Its target...is _you, _kurosaki-kun."

While Orihime and Ichigo are engrossed in their discoveries, the Hollow has regained it's arm through regeneration. It is chuckling, but both Orihime and Ichigo do not notice.

Ichigo is broken. "Wait a sec..." he starts shaking violently. "It came for me? Does that mean...it's all my fault? The reason my dad's almost dead...Yuzu and Karin are covered in blood...It's all-"

"Wait, I didn't mean- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Ichigo looks up at the sound of her scream. She went flying through the air and slammed into a wall nearby. "ORIHIME!" Her name feels strangely tender on his tongue. He stands up in rage. "That's ENOUGH!"

She lies defeated, her sword at her feet. Her mind is spinning, pain is all she can feel. Her eyes do not have the strength to remain open. Somewhere, in the part of her mind that is still functional, she knows she does not have the will to get up.

Then, like a ray of light, she hears her name.

It had been so long since someone called out to her...it felt like a dream. Who could it be? Oh, right...it was that orange-haired, scowling guy...he was funny...even in her state, she somehow managed to crack a small smile.

She opened her eyes.

"THAT'S ENOUGH ALREADY!" Ichigo roared at the Hollow. "You...want my Soul, right?" He points at himself. "THEN FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE! NOBODY ELSE HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT!"

"No... Kurosaki-kun..." She tried to pick herself up. He didn't know what the Hollow was capable of! She had to do something!

Ichigo went on provoking it. "TRY KILLING ME AND TAKING MY SOUL!" he yelled.

The Hollow laughed it's devilish laugh and it's long neck stretched out, it's mouth wide open.

It was about to eat him.

Ichigo waited to be eaten. He silently apologized to his family. He thought how all this was unfair to the Soul Reaper. He said his final prayers.

He didn't notice the human figure in front of him until it was too late.

The Hollow's mouth clamped down on Orihime, who had somehow managed to drag herself in front of Ichigo.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Her sword was in her hand, but it hadn't managed to do much good.

She collapsed.

Both her shoulders had deep gashes in them. She was in no condition to move, let alone fight.

She spoke. "You aren't any match for it..." she coughed. "Nothing would be solved even if you gave it your soul to eat..."

"I'm...sorry...I just..."

"I can't fight anymore..." Orihime let out a small laugh at her own incompetence. "There isn't anything we can do anymore..."

The Hollow is still loose, and could wipe them both out any moment now.

"Goddamit...all because...I..."

She sees the despair in his eyes, hears the helplessness in his voice.

"Kurosaki-kun...do you want to save your family?"

The result of these words is instantaneous. "Is there a way? A way to help them?" His voice is frantic. "Tell me!"

"Kurosaki-kun...You must become...a Soul Reaper!"

"Wha-? Is that even possible? "

She sat up with great difficulty. "Pierce the middle of your chest with my sword. I will temporarily insert half of my power into you."

Ichigo couldn't believe his ears. "Will that work?" he said with disbelief.

"Either it works..or you die, Kurosaki-kun..." She looked at him with steely eyes. "Are you willing to take the risk?"

"Ichigo..."

He turns in surprise at Yuzu's cry. She is on the ground, tears are slipping down her cheeks. "Don't come here...get away...it's dangerous!"

_Why are all of them worried about me when they're about to die?_

_They're making me...who is scared for himself...look stupid!_

He turns to Orihime, a grim smile on his face. "Come on, Orihime. Let's give your idea a try!"

She holds out her sword. He reaches out and grasps the hilt.

The sword goes through him...but there is no blood.

A bright blue light envelopes both of them.

**A/N: I liked proofreading this one.**

**Sadly, the sword was not imagined by me. I totally ripped it off from...somewhere. Well, not the whole thing, but the scabbard and the blade. Iridescent blue...many shades...not constant...guess where?**

**A Celtic cross on her sword? Wonder where that came from... XD**

**Well, I want the focus to be on Ichigo and Orihime's relationship, so don't wait up for stuff like Aizen's betrayal. It won't come. Ever. Seriously.**

**Instead, I have completely different ideas for what happens in place of that. In fact, a lot of characters won't even have a mention in this fic. I'm aiming for a short love story that gets wrapped up without any major complications, so...**

**That, and I suck at fight scenes.**

**A mini-glossary of sorts...**

**SENSEI : Teacher**

**CROSSGUARD: That sticky-out part of the sword...you know, between the blade and the hilt. Hilt is handle, btw...**

**SCABBARD: The sheath of the blade.**

**POMMEL: The end of the hilt. You know, its the opposite of the tip of the blade...**


	3. To Protect

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed-

**Aastha, Goddess of Night Eternal faith, alice hattercandy, D U A L I T Y x2, Turtle-chan666, Ayame0217, Wulf 4 Life, xXsnowfeltXx, , acidor, nypsyanam, Caellach Tiger Eye, Neha, yoyogigi125, Alienes, ChaosChronicler, mosspaw, Leslie23, shivani, Somerli ! Thank you, please continue to support my story!**

I was ecstatic...Especially when **yoyogigi125** told me that reading this made their day...If something I write can bring people happiness, even a little bit, I'll never stop.

As for the **sword**- I wanted a blue one, cuz of the hairpins, of course, so the third book of the **I****nheritence Trilogy-'Brisingr'-Chapter: 'A Rider in Full'**, really helped me out.

With this chapter, I am eligible to become a beta! I'm gonna soon start accepting requests, if anybody needs me~~~

This chapter is completely different from what happens in canon. Read carefully.

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CHAPTER 3 : TO PROTECT

Ichigo woke up.

"What the hell? No old man trying to kick me awake?" Sitting up in bed, he looked around. It was time for school.

He got ready quickly, changing into his school uniform and grabbing his bag. He was climbing down the stairs when it suddenly hit him.

Last night...

He froze in horror. What had happened?

His sisters had been teribly injured...His father lying in a pool of blood...The living room wrecked...

That girl..she had given him her powers...He thought he would die..

But.. he had survived. More than survived, he had emerged as a Soul Reaper, complete with a black outfit and a huge sword.

He remembered how strange the sword felt in his grip.

How the girl had looked, sitting on the ground, her attire being only a white kimono. Gazing at him with lifeless eyes... She had collapsed seconds later.

He remembered slicing through the hollow. It disentigrating into nothingness...

But...then what?

Ichigo stood deadly still, realizing that his memory failed him after that point.

What had happened to his family?

Were they dead?

He ran down as fast as he could. He came to a stop in the kitchen. "Dad! Yuzu! Karin!"

Three faces stared back at him.

"Good morning, Ichigo!" Yuzu said. "Breakfast is ready!"

Confused, Ichigo looked around. The hole in the living room wall was still there, but it had been boarded up. Everything had been tidied up, and the previous night's damaged suddenly didn't seem too bad.

His father caught him looking at the wreck. "Oh, last night, a spaceship crashed into the living room," His voice was completely neutral. He shook his head. "Can't believe you slept through it, Ichigo."

Now Ichigo was thoroughly confused. "Spaceship?" He said, his voice wavering in the ridiculousness of the story.

"Yes, It flew away when we got there," said Yuzu, who was wearing an apron and cooking, just as she did every morning. Ichigo was glad to see that she didn't have so much as a scratch on her. Neither did Karin. "Come on now, breakfast is ready!"

Ichigo sat down and ate.

It couldn't have been a nightmare, could it? It had felt so _real_...

And the girl. He doubted he could have just..._dreamed_ her up. Somehow, his family had forgotten everything. And remembered something else.

Which was not the truth.

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"Class, we'll be having a new student joining us today..."

The door slides open on cue and the aforementioned walks in. Ichigo doesn't bother looking up, his mind is engrossed in other things.

There is instant chatter. The boys ogle and ah, the girls snort with jealousy.

"Pleased to meet you!" Her voice rings out like a bell. Ichigo's ears prick up. Sounds familiar...

"My name is Orihime Inoue," His head snaps up to look at her. It is indeed the crazy chick from the previous night, now clad in his school's uniform and smiling at everyone. "Please take care of me!"

He jumped up, hands on his desk, leaning forward. "_You!_"

Everyone turned to look at this sudden outburst.

"Huh? Kurosaki knows her?"

"I'm jealous..."

"A girl like her...How the hell does _he_-?"

Even Ochi-sensei was surprised. "Oh? You two know each other?" She looked at Ichigo's scowling face and Orihime's smiling one. "Then, Inoue, you can go take the seat next to him."

Orihime made her way over to where he stood, looking at her with disbeleif. She sat down on the seat to his right. Turning to him, she winked.

Ichigo snorted and sat back down. He would get answers from her, whatever it took!

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All through first period, Ichigo couldn't concentrate on his books.

He could see Keigo eyeing him with jealousy and checking out Orihime at the same time.

Chad had been silent the whole time. The dark-haired Mexican had watched Orihime and Ichigo's exchange at the beginning of class, but hadn't shown any reaction to it.

Mizuro was checking his text messages. He had raised an eyebrow when Orihime has walked in, but Ichigo knew that his interest lay...elsewhere. A different age group, anyway. But then again, hadn't she said she was way older than Ichigo himself? Suddenly, Mizuro seemed a lot more dangerous. Ichigo resolved to warn her about him.

Wait, why should he care?

The lesbian, Chizuru, was bothering him the most, Ichigo figured. Even from the other side of the classroom, her gaze was fixated on Orihime and her...assets. Then again, that was the area most of the other guys in class had their eyes on...

But what _really_ annoyed him was that Orihime herself didn't seem to mind at all. She looked happy, and Ichigo thought how she was completely unaware of the male attention focused on her.

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As soon as the bell rang, Ichigo stood up and made toward her desk, which was right next to his- but quite a lot of people have beaten him there.

"So, Inoue-san, where are you from?"

"Are you single?"

"HIME-CHAN! What are your three sizes?"

"CHIZURU, stop harassing her!"

Most of the boys in class had surrounded the auburn-haired girl's desk, trying to talk to her. Chizuru fit right in with them, pushing her way to the front. Ichigo hurried to beat her to it. He couldn't possibly lose to a lesbian, could he?

Soon he was standing right in front of Orihime's desk, and the constant chatter of the guys died away. They look at him angrily, regarding him as yet another(but quite unexpected) rival.

Ichigo ignored their glares. He lookes down at Orihime, who stared right back at him. She was no longer smiling, and a defiant look had crossed her face.

"You," His tone was harsh, probably more than he intended. "Come with me."

Slowly, she rose from her seat.

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They are on the roof, Orihime gripping the railing and looking at the view outside. Ichigo is watching her.

"What the hell are you doing here? Isn't your job here over?" he blurted out.

She turned to face him. "I can't go back there anymore," she said, her eyes melancholic.

Ichigo crossed his arms. "Huh? What do you..."

She gave him a look. "Because, I lost my powers!"

Huh?

"But I'm not a Soul Reaper anymore!" He tugged on the sleeve of his school shirt."See? No kimomo! Where did your powers go?"

"Inside of you, Kurosaki-kun," she said patiently. "It's your soul that is a Soul Reaper, not your body. Anyway, the point is, Kurosaki-kun, you must take over my Soul Reaper duties until my powers come back!"

Ichigo took a step back. "Are you crazy? Why should I do something like that?" He gave a snort. "Protecting random people? People I don't even know?" He backed away. "If you think that I'm going to do something like that, you've got another one coming. See ya."

So quickly, she ran toward him and slapped him, right on the face. The pain lasted for barely a second. He fell on the ground. "HEY! What the hell did you do that for?"

On her hand was a blue glove with an image of a skull. He hadn't even noticed her putting it on her hand.

Then, he realized. His body lay next to him on the ground, unconscious. He was wearing the Soul Reaper outfit. On his back was a sword, the same one as last night.

He was a Soul Reaper again.

"What is it, Kurosaki-kun," her gaze was constant, her eyes fixed on him. "That you want to protect?"

_What I want to protect?_

Images flashed in his head. His mother- the one person he had sworn to protect but had failed.

His family- Karin, Yuzu, and his old man- injured, lying in blood, telling him to save himself.

He couldn't even save the person who was most important to him. But here she was, telling him that he would have to protect every single soul who was in danger.

_What did it mean, really?_

_To protect?_

In front of him she stood, her gaze searching. She could see his cowardice, he knew. She didn't know the reason behind it. She probably thought him a simple coward who ran away. Someone who was incapable of protecting.

She was right, he knew.

"Are you afaid, Kurosaki-kun?" Her eyes were now softer. Understanding. Kind. "Don't be."

He made a strange sound. "How-"

"I can fell your fear, Kurosaki-kun."

She walked over to him. Bending low, she reached out her hand. "I'll help you."

In his anger and embarressment, he knocked her hand away. "W-when the hell did I say I was scared? And don't say stuff like that! You barely know me!"

Orihime withdrew her hand. She didn't look angry. In fact, Ichigo could practically feel her sympathy surrounding him. "You're not alone."

Ichigo didn't reply to this statement. This girl...she knew _nothing_.

He stood up himself. "Well then, why don't you tell me?" He leered at her. "What do _you _want to protect?"

She was surprised at his question. Raising her head to look at the sky, she smiled. "What I want...to protect?" Still smiling, she closed her eyes. The wind began to blow, and her hair fluttered gently in the breeze. "Everything."

Ichigo watched her. Everything?

Suddenly, he felt selfish.

"For as long as I can," she continued. "Until the very end."

He thought she was a fool. This girl, suddenly so powerless, wanted to protect _everything_? She was frail. Without her sword, she looked as though she might break any moment.

Dammit, she wasn't capable of protecting anything, let alone herself! Somebody would have to do that for her...

Who would...

Realization hit him.

Could he do it? He had those Soul Reaper powers now, didn't he? Then he should be able-

Wait.

He was worthless, wasn't he?

He had watched his mother die at his feet. He couldn't do anything back then.

But now?

He had power.

And he had a new person he wanted to protect.

"So, Kurosaki-kun, you have to try to protect everything too!" Now she was looking at him in a determined way, hands curled into fists at her sides. "You're about to do my job, aren't you, Kurosaki-kun? So you have to do it the way I want you to!"

"Fine."

She was shocked. Recoiling a little, she stutered, "W-what did you-"

"I said I'll do it, dammit!" He was yelling now. He just wanted to get this...interrogation over with.

Who the hell was she, anyway?

She could see hesitation he tried so hard to hide.

She made him accept a job he would never have dreamed up.

And her kindness...it was unnatural.

_Could such a person really exist?_

He started walking back inside. Turning back to look at her, he grinned. "Orihime- hurry up or I'll change my mind!"

She remained fixed on the spot. "Kurosaki-kun called me...by my first name..."

A red tinge appeared on his face as he realized what he had been doing all this time. He looked away. "H-hey, don't take this the wrong way! I just..forgot your surname, that's all!"

Truth was, he had been thinking of her as _Orihime_ ever since she first told the soul her name.

Orihime smiled. "Kurosaki-kun...I don't have a problem with it..."

"Well, what about you, _Inoue_? You've been calling me Kurosaki-kun since you came to school!" He looked frustrated. "What happened to 'Ichigo-san'?"

Orihime blushed a little. "W-well, I thought it would be more appropriate!" She looked defensive. "Um, but Kurosaki-kun, please call me by my name!"

Taken aback at her request, he started. "Why?" before she could answer, he grinned. "No way, Inoue."

"Ah! But why not?"

Ichigo made his way back to the door. Not bothering to look back at her, he called out, "The wind's too loud. I can't hear you." He went back inside.

Orihime stood there, watching him leave. Once he was gone, she sighed. For so long, she had been all alone...she had forgotten what it had been like, to be around other people, for someone to speak her name...for someone to look into her eyes...

This boy...who was he?

As a human, he could see souls. He took all her powers away, rendering her nearly defenseless.

He teased her.

He yelled, but he was not angry- he was afraid.

His eyes screamed of pain and suffering. He masked it well, but she just...knew.

But he was kind.

He would help those who needed it.

And he could- no, he would- protect. She knew he would.

Sparing one last glance at the blue sky, she too started walking back inside.

_Could such a person really exist?_

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After school had ended, Ichigo walked home with Orihime. They were getting a lot of odd looks from the other students. Ichigo looked to see if this was bothering her, but his auburn-haired companion was just chattering on, most of which he didn't understand.

"And Arisawa-san-no, I mean Tatsuki-chan- is such a nice person! Everybody is so nice...by the way, Kurosaki-kun, we have to stick together! I mean, I tell you where the hollows are, and you kill them! Sounds good, right! Gosh, I really feel like eating wasabi right now...Oh, and you can't tell anybody about you being a Soul Reaper who stole my powers! By the way, is your family okay? I healed them the best that I could, but I was worried. It was hard to drag everyone into bed, you know! And I replaced their memories, too! Ohh, I almost forgot, Kurosaki-kun, I rented an apartment!"

Ichigo had been thinking of other things while she had talked, but after hearing the last sentence, he stopped walking and spun to look at her. "You did what?"

"Ehh?" Orihime turns to look at him, slightly confused. "Its quite close to your home, actually...and my things are supposed to arrive after a couple of days..."

Ichigo wondered how she was supposed to receive her stuff, she was from another world after all. Inter-dimensional mail service? Not likely.

"Anyway, Kurosaki-kun, I still might have to sleep over at your place."

"You can't be serious!" Ichigo was flabbergasted.

Orihime, not quite noticing his surprise, went on. "Well, as soon as I get the location of a Hollow from Soul Society, I have to immediately run to that place. Tardiness can mean that someone gets hurt, or worse. So that's also why I came to your school!"

"...and your apartment?"

"Well, I have to have an address, don't I?"

Ichigo didn't even try to reason with this illogical reply.

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Giving Ichigo her powers had taken its toll on Orihime.

Her head was throbbing.

She lay on the road, clad in her white kimono.

He had taken all her powers.

His sword was humongous, bigger than any other she had ever seen.

But she didn't feel very well.

Her eyesight was going. Blurry, then gone. She felt blood rush...she couldn't even feel where it was heading anymore. She couldn't move.

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She couldn't see, she couldn't hear.

She couldn't do anything.

She was pathetic.

Weak.

The last thing she felt was something rolling down her cheek. A tear?

She didn't know.

And then, she fainted.

Her powers had kept her alive all this time, and there were no more.

She should have died.

But no, after Ichigo fainted after destroying the Hollow, she was saved by no other than a certain Kisuke Urahara.

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A/N: I hope you liked it.

Please review?

People who have put me on story alert and even on their favorites list but didn't leave a review - I know who you are, so REVIEW!

A bit of mystery there on the end- what exactly does Orihime mean when she thinks that ' her powers kept her alive'? GYAHAHAHAHA! You'll find out soon- and that means that theres gonna be a lil bit of ANGST in here.

A lot of people are asking me where I'm planning to go with this fic.

I don't want to give too much away, but I CAN say that this will be wrapped up in 15-20 chapters.

And, ah, there won't be a huge fighting arc in which he goes to rescue her. I have something more dramatic, romantic and fluffalitic, involving Uryu Ishida, planned instead of that.

THIS FIC SHALL HAVE NO Ocs!

Why?

BECAUSE I DETEST THEM!

No, seriously, even the best fics are ruined by Ocs.

There are very few exceptions, not that I'm naming any...


	4. Hold On

A/N:

Gosh, a million thanks to

Alucard180 , Goddess of Night Eternal faith , Alienes , krispydonuts , yoyogigi125 , halfdemonfan , Somerlia , nypsy , cookies18 , foxylove18 , Simply-Ai , smexianime , The-Konoha-Shadow , ChaosChronicler, Aastha

And, I'm sorry, but I didn't mean to offend anyone at all with my opinion on OCs. Everyone is entitled to their own view, but I'm sorry if you still feel angry.

Update was so terribly late because I was depressed. And lonely. And busy. And ill.  
XxXxXx

**BLEACH: REDONE**

**CHAPTER 4 :**

**Hold On**

"Is that all?"

Orihime flipped open her hollow tracking device. "Yes, that was the last one, Kurosaki-kun. You've really gotten better at this!"

Ichigo wiped the sweat from his brow. "Yeah, well, at least nobody got hurt this time."

"Don't be so modest! It's only your second day, and you're already able to take them out with a slice or two!" She pumped her fist in the air. "It's all the result of my superb training!"

Ichigo sighed. "Sorry to say, Inoue, but your training was lame."

"Ehh? But Kurosaki-kun's swordsmanship skills were the result of my-"

"What does swinging around a _baseball bat_ have to do with swordsmanship?"

Ichigo and Orihime were on the pavement, and midnight was closing in on them. Orihime flipped open her cellphone/ hollow tracker and checked the time. She yawned. "I'm sleepy. Can we go back?"

It had been two days since Orihime arrived at his school. Ichigo had been subjected to so called 'training' of whose objective he failed to see.

His first time facing a hollow, he had simply listened to Orihime's instructions which she yelled at him the whole time. But now, he was slowly starting to get the knack of it.  
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XxXx Next Morning XxXxXxXx

"Ah! Inoue-san, I wasn't expecting you til this evening!"

Orihime smiled at Urahara. It was a very bright morning at Karakura, and Orihime thought how well the Urahara shop fit right in, even though it was run by former Soul Reaper.

She had thought to check in with Urahara before leaving for school, inspite of her knowing that her things would probably only arrive much later that day.

The day she had lost her powers, and had to start residing in Urahara's Gigai, he had told her he would contact a friend of her's in Soul Society, to send in necessary things she would require during her stay in the Human World. She had written down the address and name, and the rest was taken care of by Urahara himself.

"Well, you sure are lucky! Your things arrived a few moments ago,"

Orihime froze. "S-so, does that mean he's-?" She looked around

Urahara put an end to her misery. "Ah, your friend left already. Didn't even stop to meet his father, imagine that!"

"Oh...so that's it..." She tried to sound disappointed, but the blonde shop owner noticed the relief in her eyes. He put on his brightest- and creepiest – smile and waved his fan around. "Ah, young love! There was a time when I, too-" Right at that moment, a black cat pounced on top of him, cutting him off. There was a flurry of paws. The cat jumped off and walked away haughtily, and Urahara's hat was a raggedy mess at his feet.

He stared at it in resignation. "Not very nice, Yoruichi," He picked it up and examined it from all angles. Putting it back on, he said, "I do believe you killed my hat."

He turned back to Orihime, who was eyeing the retreating Yoruichi with fear.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FLASHBACK _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

She woke up.

She was falling. A dark abyss...as far as she could see.

Her fall was smooth, so smooth she was afraid it would last forever. There was no wind.

There were no wounds on her body. Her skin was white and unmarked. She was wearing a plain black kimono.

She thought she was dead.

Somehow, she felt relieved.

She had thought that just before the end, there would be tremendous pain.

But she had been wrong.

All right, there had been pain. But not even half as much as she had been expecting.

She would like to have thought that she died in battle, but the truth was she had covered in a corner, unable to do anything but watch.

A jolt ran through her body as she remebered Ichigo- no, Kurosaki-kun. What had happened to him?

Was he..._dead?_

A feeling of doom hit her. Her stomach flipped. Even in midair, she doubled up, hands wrapped around her frame. She thought she would throw up, then and there.

She wished she were dead.

Oh wait, she _was_ dead.

But she could think.

She didn't want to think.

His face kept appearing in her head, over and over. Haunting her.

"_Come on, Orihime. Let's give your idea a try!"_

Taunting her.

That one line playing again and again, like a broken record. His orange hair, grim smile, all stuck in her head.

She had _killed _him.

She tried closing her eyes.

It didn't help. It was as though his face was glued on her inner eyelids.

She reached up and plugged her ears with her fingers.

His voice didn't go away. It resounded within her head, louder than ever.

She wanted to end her very existence.

She wished the fall would come to an end, and she would crash, destroying her spirit body and thus removing her essence from the world.

_NO!_

_Why?_

_He was an innocent!_

_Why should he pay for my mistakes?_

The emotions she felt tumbled over one another. Regret. Anger. Sadness. Frustration.

But there was one that stood above all others.

The most powerful one.

The one that would always emerge victorious.

_Love._

The _Love _of trying to protect someone.

The _Love_ of trying your best, against all odds.

The_ Love_ of not giving up.

_Love._

And this love gave her power.

Orihime was angry that she could do nothing, while the boy fought to his death.

She wouldn't die.

She simply _couldn't_ die, she had to get back out there and save Ichigo.

She simply _had_ to.

There was no other option.

There was nobody else who could do it!

She threw her head back and screamed.

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She opened her eyes

"It's not right for an attractive young lady to lie on the road at this time of the night."

A blonde man stood in front of her, looking down at her and smiling. His eyes were mostly hooded by the shade of his hat, and he wore traditional wooden sandals.

A larger, more muscular male kneeled next to her, wearing an apron. He wore glasses and had dreadlocks.

Orihime was still on the sidewalk, but she had been propped up against a wall, so she was half sitting up.

Her head hurt a bit, but the pain was rapidly fading.

She looked down at herself.

Her wounds had been bandaged up.

A sense of releif warmed her body. She had narrowly escaped death.

"How do you feel?"

She opened her mouth, to thank him, to ask him who he was, but the words were stuck in her throat. Instead, she heard herself saying something else.

"KUROSAKI-KUN!"

She looked around wildly, but the night was calm, The hollow nowhere to be seen. Ichigo lay a little further away, still clad in his Soul Reaper robes, the sword next to his body. His eyes were closed. She couldn't tell if he was breathing. A feeling of dread came over her.

Urahara chuckled. "Now, now, Inoue-san, don't get too impatient. Kurosaki-san is just fine." He glanced at the wreckage done to the house. "Can't quite say the same about his house, though."

The releif that came over her was tremendous. "Thank..goodness..." A confused look crossed her face. "Um, thank you for saving me, and everything, but how-?"

"The thing is, Inoue-san, you were on the brink of death just now. Even though I put your soul into one my very own specially-designed gigai, it's possible anytime for you to have a relapse. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but-" He leaned in close, a knowing smile on his face. "You're not exactly...healthy, are you?"

She looked away. Even as her gaze fell upon the unconcious Ichigo, her mind was whirring with thoughts and worries. How much did this strange man know? Was it really that easy to tell?

She turned to Urahara, who still had that smile on his face. "I-" she started, but was again interruted. "In fact, you shouldn't even be _alive_ right now! A _human_ with health conditions such as yours should have died before completing a decade! Being born a Soul Reaper saved you! But I think," He moved his fan to cover most of his face, leaving only his eyes. "You know that, don't you, Inoue-san?"

She couldn't say anything. She thought she felt a tear, but it was hard to tell.

Urahara turned away, facing the wreckage that was Ichigo's house once more. He spoke, without looking at her. "The Gigai you're in right now, is infused with Spirit Particles.A _lot_ of Spirit Particles. You should be fine for a while."

Orihime understood. Her own Spirit Energy had been lost to another, but she was not devoid of it altogether.

"We can save that talk for later, right, Inoue-san?" Urahara looked as though he didn't care much for her questions. "Get some rest."

"H-how do you know my name?" And, as an afterthought, "How can you see me?"

Urahara grinned and waved his fan around. "Now, now, what did I just say? This isn't the time for any of that!"

"H-huh? But-"

Interrupting her, he said, "I'm so very sorry, Inoue-san, but we have to taken care of this mess!"

Soon, after an hour of healing, replacing memories, putting everyone to bed, Urahara took Orihime back to his shop. They talked until she fell asleep.

The rest is history.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _FLASHBACK END_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Coming back to the subject..." Urahara said, making Orihime revert her eyes from the strange cat and back to him. "Your things are inside. I'll ask Tessai to send them over sometime today."

"No! That's really not necessary! I couldn't possibly impose on you and Tessai-san anymore! I'll take them home myself!" Orihime protested.

"No problem at all, Inoue-san. In fact, Tessai's been itching to do some grunt work lately, so it should be okay," Urahara replied. "But, you should have that Substitute Soul Reper of yours at hand to help you move the furniture into place! As your temporary doctor, I forbid you to overexert yourself at any cost!"

Orihime giggled at his mock-concern. Urahara was the only person aware of the condition she was in, and it was nice for somebody to care. She bowed and turned to leave, but remembered something. "Um...Urahara-san...my friend, he didn't leave a...a note, did he?"

Urahara's eyes widened. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He whipped out a folded piece of paper from inside his sleeve. "Good thing you asked, Inoue-san!" He held it out to her, and she slowly reached out and took it. She could feel Urahara's eyes on her, so she quickly stuffed it into her school bag. She deifinately wouldn't read it in front of him. She bowed and walked away.

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Later...

Urahara sneezed. He was rubbing hs nose when Tessai walked past. "Oh no, owner- did you catch a cold?" he asked.

Urahara waved him away. "No, no! A pretty girl somewhere must be talking about me!"

"This is as cliche as cliche gets..." Tessai muttered.

"Did you say something?"

"No! Owner, this is not good!" Glinting, he said, "I have an _excellent_ medicine that works on colds!"

"M-medicine?" Urahara asked hesistently.

Tessai offerred a tray laden with a glass of water and a (mysterious) orange box labelled 'stomach'.

Urahara took a good look at Tessai's 'medicine'.

And the expiry date.

"This expired two years ago!"

"It works while you sleep!"

"No, no, no! That's not the problem!"

"Say Aaa.."

"Aaaaaaa..No, wait- what?"

Urahara's moaning from the bathroom could be heard all over the shop that night.

"So you _did_ mean to kill me!"  
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When Ichigo woke up that morning, he wondered if Orihime was still inside his closet.

He slowly got up. It was time for school, and he wondered if they would walk to school together. . . that would definately attract eyeballs. Not that he wanted to, of course...

He knocked on the closet door. He expected a reply, or at least some sound of movement, but there was none. He slowly slid the door open, almost afraid to peek inside. What if Orihime was the type to unconsiously remove her pajamas in her sleep?

Highly improbably, he knew, but it seemed like something a shojo manga heroine would do. And right now, he couldn't figure out if the manga his life had suddenly turned into was shojo or shonen...

He shook his head, attempting to cleanse his thoughts, and slid the door all the way.

Rather than finding a sleeping girl, or even a half-naked one- the closet was empty, except for a folded blanket and a pillow.

Huh, this was a surprise. When had she woken up? He felt like an idiot for not noticing.

Ichigo stared at the empty closet, anger slowly boiling up. Where the hell-? It wasn't any of his business, but _she_ was the one staying in _his_ closet. She couldn't just go around doing whatever!

He slammed the door close.

"Stupid..." What did he care? She could go and do whatever she wanted to, it was none of his business at all.

He got ready for school and headed downstairs.  
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Orihime entered the classroom barely a second before the bell rang. She headed sraight to her desk and sat down.

Ichigo turned to look at her, expecting at least a giddy smile from the auburn-haired girl, but she didn't seem to notice. He snorted and turned to textbook for comfort.

For the rest of the period, Ichigo concentrated on the book on his desk, determindedly not sparing so much as a glance at his auburn-haired classmate. However, he couldn't stop himself from noticing the piece of paper in her hand, which she kept twirling around in her fingers. From time to time she would unfold it, read it closely, sigh and fold it up again. She looked thoroughly depressed. What was _wrong_ with her?

Ichigo couldn't help noticing all this, even though he barely even looked her way throughout class. "Hindsight," he thought to himself. "STUPID F#$%^& hindsight."

At break, when he could have talked to Orihime, she was swept up in a group of girls.

He watched as she chatted animatedly with Tatsuki as they walked away. She was sighing no more.

"I-CHI-GO!" Keigo jumped onto him. Mizuiro and Chad gathered around.

Keigo threw his arm around Ichigo and pulled him close. "Staring at the lovely Inoue-san, hmm?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ichigo muttered. "Lay off."

Keigo waggled his finger at him. "I've been watching you look at her since morning! Don't you try to deny anything!" He pushed Ichigo away and pointed accusingly at him. "You want to talk to her, don't you?"

Ichigo thought for a moment, while Keigo stared at him intentedly. Ichigo sighed. "If you get down to it, I _do_ want to talk to her..."

Keigo's eyes glimmered with happiness, as he clasped his hands together and spun around in ectasy.

"FINALLY! The time has come for Ichigo to accept his urges! Don't be shy, my friend! There is an ocean of fish to choose from!"

"_Fish?_"

"Yes! And even if you get rejected, just chase after a different one!"

"You idiot, Keigo! That's not-"

Keigo slapped his hand over Ichigo's mouth, and ignoring his muffled protests, dragged him to the window.

Down below, in the school grounds, the girls of their class could be seen heading toward a tree with their lunch- Orihime among them.

Keigo pointed at them. "Now, Ichigo, go and ask her out!"

"Huh?" Ichigo broke free of Keigo's hold and looked. "In front of everyone?" he asked, ignoring the fact that Keigo was under the wrong impression.

"You bet! Chicks dig it when guys do that! Now, go!" Keigo gave Ichigo a shove towards the window.

"Hey! I'm not gonna jump from here, you idiot! Do you wanna kill me?"

"Just go!"

Ichigo sighed and walked out of the classroom, leaving Keigo heartbroken. What did his friends think he was gonna do, anyway? He just wanted to talk to Inoue about this morning, not..c-confess, or anything, right?

His face grew red.

He made a quick detour and went to the washroom to wash his face. As the droplets fell from his face to the sink, his eyes closed and, after a few long breaths, his resolve strengthened. He straightened up, wiped his face and left.  
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"I just don't get it."

"Get what, Michiru?"

Michiru pointed at Orihime, who was happily eating her lunch, which was a loaf of bread with wasabi and read bean paste. "How can she eat so much and not be the size of a blimp?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ryo flipped her black hair and snorted. "All that nutrition goes straight to her breasts."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes and turned to Orihime."So, Orihime, how're you liking school so far?"

Orihime smiled at her. "I love it! Everybody is so nice!"

"I think most of the guys in our class have taken a liking to you." Michiru said. "They're always staring when you go by."

"I WON'T LET THEM HAVE HER!" Chizuru popped out of nowhere and hugged Orihime tightly. "My precious Hime! You belong to me, you and your lovely-"

Tatsuki punched her. "Get lost, you lesbian."

"Ahh! How mean, Arisawa! You-"

Everybody laughed as they continued their battle. The sun was shining, the sky was a clear blue.

Birds chirped and leaves fluttered. Orihime found herself forgetting her troubles.

But inside, she kept asking herself- just how long was this going to last?

"Oi, Inoue."

The girls fell silent as the chatter qickly died away.

Ichigo stood there, his hand on the back of his neck and the other in his pocket. He looked away awkwardly. "I need to talk to you?" He mean to say it firmly, but it came out as a question. When she made no move to stand up, he cleared his throat. "Alone?"

Orihime smiled at him. "Sure,"

He simply turned away and started walking back towards the building. She had to jog a little to catch up with him. "Kurosaki-kun...is something wrong?'

He kept walking and didn't answer.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

They were inside the school building now, and nobody else was around. He finally turned to her. "What happened this morning?"

"This morning?" She thought for a moment. "I almost forgot, my things arrived at Urahara-san's place!"

"You went to that guy?"

"Yup! Where else could I have gone? Anyway, after school today, we need to-"

Ichigo banged his fist into the wall. "Shut up, Inoue."

She did.

He continued. "Don't do that..without telling me."

"You were sleeping-"

"I don't care. Wake me up."

"I didn't think Kurosaki-kun would care."

"That's right, I don't. But don't think that you can run off whenever."

Orihime pouted. "Can I go now, Kurosaki-kun?"

"What the hell is wrong?" He blurted that one out without thinking too much.

Orihime stared at him in surprise. "Is something wrong with Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo looked down. He was exhausted. "Never mind..."

How could he make her tell him what was wrong with her?

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**.. **

Ichigo stands with his head raised, looking at the night sky. Orihime is sitting, her chin propped on her knees. It was late in the evening, and they had just finished hollow-hunting...or 'rounding up the dirty socks' as Orihime put it. They were currently taking a rest on somebody's roof.

He sneeks furtive glances at her, waiting for the right moment. After a moment on heated inner debating, he finally gathers the courage to open his mouth, but-

"Kurosaki-kun?"

He falls down, anime style. "Yes, Inoue?"

She looks at him worredly. "Is something wrong? You've been looking frustrated since morning.." She paused and giggled suddenly. "But then again, Kurosaki-kun always looks angry, even when nothing is wrong, so maybe this is also normal?"

_Fucking perfect. She probably thinks I need anger management classes now._

"It's not," He said, more harshly than he intended to.

Orihime bit her lip and looked away. She tried smiling, but regret was clear on her face. "O-of course, Kurosaki-kun wouldn't want to tell me. . . I'm sorry..."

"Dammit, why are you apologizing?" He was almost angry at her foolishness. He sighed. "The thing is, Inoue," He was rushing through his words now, determined to let it all out. "If..if you have something on your mind, and it's troubling you, then..you could tell me."

Orihime's eyes widened, and she stared at Ichigo as though she was seeing him for the first time. She really hadn't thought he would notice...

Ichigo reddened under her intense gaze. He cleared his throat. "So, even if I can't help- even if I can't do anything. . . .If you need somebody to listen, then. . . .I'll be there."

Orihime was speechless.

"So!" He turned around and pointed down at her. "Spit it out already!"

She looked down, and shifted uncomfortably. Ichigo sat down next to her and waited. Finally, after a few moments, she spoke.

"I'm homesick."

Ichigo turned to look at her. She was looking at the sky, he head thrown back as she spoke.

"My friend came to the human world to drop off my things this morning, and he didn't stop to meet me or anything." She sighed. "I think he's angry."

"Why would he be angry? You didn't do anything wrong, did you?" Ichigo blurted out.

Orihime bit her lip."He just worries too much, I think..."

They sat in silence for a while. Ichigo spoke first.

"Hey...what's your family like?"

Orihime smiled. "I lived with my brother for a long time...he was a really high ranking Soul Reaper, and I wanted to become just like him, so I joined the academy."

"You _used_ to live with him?"

"Yup. He died some time after I graduated."

Ichigo didn't know what to say. He was incapable of comforting anyone, he knew that better than anyone else. So, he said what he wanted to. Something he wanted to tell her.

"When my mom died, I didn't go to school for days," He said, looking right at her. "I went to the spot where I had last seen her alive, and wandered around, just hoping, somehow..."

"I trained." He turned to look at her when she said that. Her eyes were shining with tears, but she was smiling. "It was all I _did_. It was all I _could_ do."

"Because I knew he was watching over me...I wanted him to feel proud," Her voice was barely a whisper. She lowered her head and lapsed into silence.

They sat there, the two of them, each understanding the other's loss as much as their own.

Suddenly, Orihime shifted, and placed her head against Ichigo's left shoulder.

"Hey, what-" He stopped when he noticed her cheeks were wet with tears and her eyes closed.

She gripped his left arm with both of her hands. Taking a deep breath, she snuggled closer to him. "I'm sorry...but please, just for a little while..."

Ichigo relaxed and closed his eyes. If it gave her even a little comfort, then...it was alright.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

The folded paper lay scrunched up in some corner of her school bag.

**Orihime**

**Don't kill yourself.**

XxXxXxXxX

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Don't be kind to me._

_Please, don't reach out to me with your hands._

_I'm not worthy of your help._

_Your calloused palms will ache, if you help me up._

_When I'm gone, don't be upset._

_I don't want you to regret meeting me._

_Saving me._

_Potecting me._

_A tear slid down her cheek._

_Even so...please, just let me hold on...a little while longer._

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XxXxXxXx

Comforting each other in their own way- two people, completely different but brought together through a number of bizarre events... Maybe this is fate?

A/N : Hey guys!

REVIEW

or

I'll

update

...s...l...o...w...l...y...

Haha.

The second last part(in **bold**) was the note her 'friend' left with Urahara. And the last part(in _italics)_ was Orihme thinking as she lay in Ichigo's arms...kyaa how romantic :)

I think everybody would have figured out who Orihime's 'friend' is...those who didn't, did nobody read the sword description carefully enough? Xx

I've rekindled my romance with shoujo manga lately- which is probably the main reason for this disastrously late update. Forgive me, but I can't keep away from it...I read the whole Ouran Host Club series, which is surprisingly good. I used to think it was overrated. :'( My bad.

And started Kare Kano.

And took up Otomen again.

And started Ruroni Kenshin, even though it's shonen.

And FINALLY read NANA.

Recently, I've started thinking how cool a Fruits Basket and Bleach crossover would be..

For those of you who haven't read fruits basket - - must read for shojo manga fans. I got down to reading it REALLY late, and I really regret that... I used to think the summary was ultra-cheesy, so there couldn't possibly be a plot...but turns out, I was dead wrong. I mean, the art sucked for the first 7-8 volumes, but it got a lot better. Same goes for the plot, which got amazing around the 9th volume...and there are 23 volumes in total, so-plenty of room for the good parts.

So, I was thinking, Cut the bleach characters and paste them into the Furuba situations..Orihime would be Tohru, Kyo would be Ichigo, Yuki would be...Ishida? dunno. It's an interesting idea.

But that's all it is, an IDEA.

Blah.

Won't go any further than that.


	5. Bleeding Love

A/N : I wonder if anyone noticed how I changed the title from Bleach: Reversed to Bleach: Redone ?

I did it a while ago, but nobody noticed. Blah.

It's so late cuz I had my finals. And the rush of a new year got to me. Ah, I wrote a poem for the school yearbook. It got it's own page. I'm so happy~~

Is anyone on goodreads? I posted it there.

I'm really happy you guys reviewed. I couldn't reply to anyone except the first 7-8 people...after that, I lost track.

I got stuck while writing this. I felt completely lost. But then I opened up the reviews you guys gave me, and they made me so happy I finished this chapter and posted it then and there.

Thanks so much...

nypsy, simply-ai, Somerlia, greyearth, smartkid360, DreamStar14, yoyogigi125, KrispyDonuts, Captain Oreo, Aya, ChaosChronicler, Rebirth1995, BoyCrazyOCDAcapellaSinger, broken soul and broken me, Hakkyou no Yami, Dark Vizard447, Mojave.

REVIEW TO READ YOUR NAME HERE!

...oh _God,_ I'm desperate...

**Soggyfrenchfries presents **

**Bleach: Redone**

**CHAPTER 5: **

**Bleeding Love**

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"Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo turned around and raised his eyebrows. School had just ended, and everyone was walking towards the gate. Orihime was running towards him, her cell phone in hand. She came to a stop in front of him, clearly out of breath.

Tatsuki stood way behind her, bewildered. She had been talking to Orihime, before the auburn-haired girl's cell phone had beeped. Orihime had then taken off like the wind, not pausing to offer any explanation.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked her, looking down at the girl who was slowly catching her breath. Lowering his voice -since there were other people around- he said, "A Hollow?"

She nodded violently. After a pause, she added, "A big one."

Ichigo didn't even blink. "Where is it?"

Orihime was now pulling on her blue glove, which Ichigo had come to loathe. He backed away, his eyes wide. "No, don't—hey, wait!"

Flashing an apologetic smile in his direction, she hardened her expression and lunged forward to slap him right on his face.

His Soul Reaper self thrown out, he waited to see how Orihime would explain this one. She had just slapped Ichigo in front of most of his classmates, and they were gathering to look at what the commotion was all about. And to a casual observer, all they could see was a classmate sobbing, her head in her hands, standing in front of the limp body of a teenage boy who appeared unconcious.

Ichigo watched with disbeleif. Just what was she planning to say to numerous people gathering around his body?

Tatsuki pushed through the throng of people and firmly placed her hands on Orihime's shoulders.

"Listen to me, Orihime! What happened?"

Orihime, crying pretty convincingly, had even managed to squeeze out a few tears. She lifted one shaky finger and pointed at Ichigo's body. "K-Kurosaki-k-kun is...WAHHH!" She broke out into another round of fresh sobs. Ichigo's classmates were trying to awake Ichigo. He saw Keigo slap his cheek, the same one Orihime had. He frowned. He would have to talk to her about this whole slap-and-change method...

"Orihime, pull yourself together!" Tatsuki was exasperated. "What did he do?"

"I-I asked him...to meet me at S-Sakura P-P-P-Park, and h-h-he said n-n-n-no!"

The air buzzed with conversation.

Ichigo was horrified. Did she know what she was implying? This wouldn't exactly ruin his reputation, but his friends would chide him forever for making a girl cry. Even Tatsuki had a shocked look on her face even as she tried to comfort a bawling Orihime.

On the other hand- now he knew where the hollow was.

XxXxXxX

Ichigo took off then, running as fast as his feet would carry him. His stamina had increased greatly over the past few days; sweat had been shed in large quantities.

When he reached the park, all was silent. It was empty. He let out a breath of relief. At least no humans would get hurt. On alert again, he started to look around more closely.

There really wasn't a single trace of any sort of Hollow. There must be something wrong with Orihime's Tracker. He shrugged to himself and relaxed his grip on his sword.

Ichigo debated whether to go back, and face the scrutiny of his classmates.

His head dropped for a moment. Damn, he got knocked out by a girl. That was something they wouldn't let him forget for a long, long, time. Not that Orihime wasn't capable of knocking down someone his size. How did a girl like her get so strong, anyway? Her slaps hurt for days afterward...

Oh, right. She must have trained herself to death when her brother died. That was something they could both relate to, even they were from- quite literally- entirely different worlds.

He wanted to know more about her, he realized. The Soul Society- she mentioned it briefly from time to time, but had never spoken about it at length.

And he wanted to hear about that Urahara guy.

Orihime mentioned him as the one who had taken care of her since the incident, helped wipe Ichigo's family's memories, and provided her with a Gigai, which she described as a faux-body for use in the Human World.

Ichigo had long suspected him of being a shady character, but Orihime had an undeniable awe in her voice when she talked about him. Her eyes would glaze over and Ichigo saw something that could only be defined as longing. All this bothered him more than he would have cared to admit, but he continuously reminded himself that it was because he barely knew anything about Urahara, except that he was aware of Soul Reapers and could probably see all sorts of spirits himself. And that he was a shopkeeper.

Certainly not enough to trust him.

His largely antagonistic thoughts were interrupted by a loud roar directly behind him. He spun around, his heart beating much faster, the adrenalin pumping through his veins.

His body froze when he saw it.

When it had snuck up behind him, he had no idea. He didn't even know that Hollows were capable of sneaking up on anybody...he must have really been lost in his thoughts.

The Hollow was at least double the size of any he had seen yet. Overwhelmed by something so huge, Ichigo could only stare. His feet wouldn't move; his brain stopped working. He knew he should attack, should destroy it as soon as possible...

When it struck, Ichigo had no time to react. He could see the claw coming at him, and his other lines of vision were rendered blind. All he could see was the giant, black claw, reaching to swipe the life out of him.

"KUROSAKI-KUN!"

He could only watch as Orihime threw herself in front of him. The Black Hand stopped in its path, and something barely recognizable as a smile decorated the white mask of the Hollow. "Pretty, pretty...not as tasty, but pretty!" It said, its voice rough and low as though a thousand needles nested in its throat.

Orihime was panting. She had run as fast as she could, and barely reached in time. She knew there was nothing she could do. She didn't even have enough power to use Kido.

The Hollow's fist closed around her frame and lifted her body up to eye level. Orihime screamed and struggled in its grasp, but it didn't do much good against the Hollow's iron hold.

Ichigo at last reacted when Orihime screamed. The sound of her high-pitched voice woke him up to reality. This was not good. It was going to eat her...and probably strangle her to dead before.

He wasted no more time and ran forward. Slashing at its leg wouldn't defeat it, but it would probably delay lunchtime.

The Hollow roared when Ichigo's sword struck. But its hold on the girl did not loosen one bit. In fact, it got tighter. Orihime screamed, again and again, thrashing her head around, as Ichigo watched in horror.

The Hollow stepped forward, closing in on Ichigo. It's distorted facial features showed it's rage at being cut.

Suddenly, it lifted its arm and tossed Orihime away. Her limp body flew through the air, much too far away for Ichigo to reach.

Her body met with the hard ground with a sickening _thud_.

"ORIHIME!"

She had landed on her back. Her eyes fluttered and closed; her mouth slightly open, her auburn hair splayed out behind her.

She looked dead.

Fury took over Ichigo. Not really caring, that the Hollow was double, maybe triple the size he had fought before, that he probably had no chance to defeat it, that he had no one to shout at him when he made a wrong move, no one to watch his back...He roared and lunged for it.

The next few minutes were a blur. Ichigo fought, slicing at whatever part of the hollow he could reach. It would roar in pain and then grab at him madly, but Ichigo dodged whenever he could- which wasn't all the time.

He couldn't possibly jump high enough to slash at it's mask, which he knew, was the place he should aim for if he could have any chance at all of defeating it.

No matter how much he cut, slashed and sliced, the hollow wouldn't slow down. Ichigo's breathing was faltering; he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. And he knew that.

The Hollow slashed at him again. He jumped out of the way, but not without a scratch.

For the first time since he had begun fighting, he glanced down to assess his injuries. His arms was bruised and battered. His hands were starting to bleed from gripping his Zanpakuto so hard.

But that wasn't the worst.

On his chest, the material of the Soul Reaper outfit was torn through. Red stained the black cloth. He touched the wound lightly. When he withdrew his fingers, they were soaked with blood.

His head started to spin from the blood loss. He thrust his sword into the ground to support him.

He glanced at where Orihime lay. To his relief, she was moving. She was on her knees, trying to pick herself up.

What had she said? To aim for it's head? He knew that already; and there was no way he could jump that high.

When the Hollow attacked again, a light bulb went off in Ichigo's head. Ignoring the pain searing in his chest, he withdrew his blade from the ground. He jumped onto the hollow's arm.

The Hollow flailed its arm dumbly, and stumbled back, clearly not expecting suck a method of attack. Ichigo ran forward, his feet lightly skipping on the dark arms of the monster as he headed towards its shoulder.

The Hollow roared dumbly, slashing at Ichigo. But he was fast, and the damned soul roared in pain as its claws drew blood from it's own arm.

_The bigger, the dumber.  
_

Ichigo's heart beat in his chest, harder than he had ever felt in before as the Hollow began to flail its arms around wildly. Grabbing the momentary opportunity, and avoiding being thrown off, Ichigo gripped his Zanpakuto, bent his knees, and leaped, holding his sword above his head.

_Slash._

Ichigo's sword cut right through the Hollow's mask.

XxXxXxXx

The Substitute Soul Reaper fell to the ground, exhausted. He knew it was gone, he had seen it turn to dust before his very eyes.

Ichigo closed his eyes as the blue sky above him started spinning. Pain rocked through his body as he breathed. He clutched his chest. He didn't want to look at his wound.

Oh, right. He was hurt. Bleeding.

At least that woman was alright.

He could hear her voice now, from so far away. Or maybe it wasn't that far, his head was still spinning. Her voice was pleasant to his ears, like the first note of music after a war.

But something was wrong.

She was sad.

In his semi-conscious state, he frowned. He forced his eyes open.

She wasn't far away. She was right next to him, kneeling, clutching one of his bloody hands. Tears were running down her lightly bruised cheeks, and her uniform was dirtied.

The hand which clutched his was shaking as she cried.

She was blurry, but Ichigo could tell she wasn't very much hurt.

_Thank Goodness..._

Also, she was saying something. Between sobs, one word, over and over.

"Ichigo..."

His consciousness was rapidly fading, but at that moment when he heard her whisper his name, what he felt the most wasn't the pain from his chest wound.

He had protected her.

If he could have moved his face muscles, he would have smiled.

As his eyelids got heavier, and Ichigo gave in to the well-deserved sleep, he was content.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"...And, your apartment? Are you settled yet?"

"Ah, that's right! I got everything in order. It almost feels like home..."

"And you chose to ignore my well-meaning advice as well..."

"No! I mean, I'm very grateful that you care, Urahara-san, but I'm not that weak. I could move everything myself, no problem!"

"How is the Gigai?"

"That...I don't feel much difference since that night; really...Will my Spiritual Pressure really come back?"

"Of course! And then you'll be home free...Hime."

"...Please don't call me that, Urahara-san..."

"Err...Sorry! Couldn't resist...I called Yoruichi that once, and she-"

"WAAAAHHHHHH!"

*silence*

"Looks like Kurosaki-san is up!" Urahara said cheerfully, trotting off in another direction, leaving Orihime on her own.

Hesitantly, she slid open the door in which Ichigo had slept for the past few hours.

Tessai stood a little away from the orange-haired boy, who looked like he had just jumped out of bed. He was in a defensive position, one that looked odd on a boy his age, as though he was trying to protect his purity from the tall man standing in front of him.

Tessai pushed his glasses up his nose, satisfied with the accomplishment of the task assigned to him, and strode back to the door, stopping only to give Orihime a friendly pat on her shoulder. "Hang in there," he said, smiling down at the bewildered girl.

He slid the door closed as he left, leaving them alone.

Orihime looked at Ichigo. He seemed to be surprised to see her. She smiled at him, in a way she hoped was reassuring. Perhaps it had the intended effect, as he seemed to relax, just a bit. He sat back down on the mattress. She knelt down next to him.

Ichigo's eyes swept over the girl's form. "You okay?"

She was taken aback. Here he was, his upper body swathed in bandages, and he asked about her?

Guilt washed over her like a Tsunami. She looked down at her clenched fists. "I'm sorry..." Her bangs fell over her eyes, hiding her expression.

Ichigo blinked. "What the fuck are you apologizing for?" She shook her head violently, her auburn hair flying around. She didn't want to face this.

He caught on to her wrist, and pulled at it. "Hey, I need to-"

She looked up suddenly, making the dreaded eye contact. Ichigo paused and took in her demented-looking eyes and wobbly lips.

She took off into banter. "Because, because of me, Kurosaki-kun got hurt...I couldn't help, and . . . .D-Do you know what it's _like_? To watch them get _hurt_ and not be able to do _anything_ to help?"

Ichigo looked peeved. "Only since my mother died," he said, a bitter note evident in his voice.

Orihime was horrified. "I'm so sorry!" She pulled her wrist away, and started to stand up.

"Wait!" Ichigo half-shouted, regret clearly showing on his face. "Sit down."

Orihime stopped, and hesitantly sat back down, like a child waiting to receive punishment.

"Kurosaki-kun did not get hurt."

Orihime started to protest, but Ichigo interrupted her. Now, he was the one who was avoiding eye contact.

"_Ichigo_ did."

For a moment, all was silent. Ichigo was looking off into another direction, a red tinge on his cheeks, while Orihime stared at him, unable to decipher his words. Yes, he was admitting that he was hurt, but why-

Suddenly, she remembered calling him by his first name in a moment of sheer panic. A fiery shade of red adorned her cheeks as she hid her face in her hands. "I-I'm s-s-so sorry a-about that...Of course, to be so personal with someone I only met...I-I won't do it aga-"

"Oi!"

She was interrupted by him. They were both embarrassed, and Ichigo forced the words out before he had time to back out. "You- you can call me Ichigo, so..." He finally turned to look at her. She met his gaze, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. "I mean, I don't really mind..."

She recovered quickly, her face lighting up like Christmas. Her cheeks still carried a faint tinge of red, but she was smiling.

Ichigo held her gaze, conflicting emotions in his eyes.

She wasn't quite human. She came from somewhere far, far away, a place he had never heard of. She had held power before he took it away. The kind of power he had longed for. The kind of power needed to protect the people he loved.

He had failed once, but he wouldn't again.

He would protect what he had.

And what he had found.

But...a sense of guilt remained.

Maybe he had hurt her. Maybe she was longing to get back her powers. Maybe she cursed her current state. Maybe she hated him.

He wouldn't blame her.

She was now as powerless as he had been.

And because of that undeniable fact, he could finally protect them. All of them. No longer would he be forced into that helpless state again.

And she would stay with him.

In this story, he was the villain.

It was worth it.

Ichigo looked at her again, not realizing the comfort he found in the sight of her safe, in front of him.

Her face was no longer red. Her gaze was hopeful, tentative. She bit her lip and smiled slightly. She spoke.

"Oh! Then, Ichigo-kun, you can call me Orihime!"

Color flooded his cheeks. In his mind, he had always thought of her as Orihime. Now, he felt like a closet pervert.

It disturbed Ichigo that she could affect him so much.

"Uh...N-No, that's all right...

"But, you already did, right?"

Ichigo's head snapped to look at her. Crap, that time she had been thrown across the park. . . . He hadn't really thought about it. He assumed she hadn't heard. "No, I didn't," he lied.

Orihime hid her disappointment.

"I guess it was only my imagination..."

Since she had arrived in the Human World, Ichigo was the first person she had first felt a connection with. _"I just got carried away on my own..."_

Grasping for something, anything to talk about, Ichigo remembered something he had wanted to talk to her about.

"Inoue...What is Soul Society like?"

A smile graced her lips, but her eyes were nostalgic. She was looking at him, but he could sense that she was seeing something else. Her mind frolicked among the memories of her childhood. She opened her mouth, ready to spill everything. There was so much...so many things she wanted him to know. Things she wanted to share with this boy she had troubled so much.

But there were other things.

Things she didn't want anyone to know.

The words stuck in her throat, but there had never been any in the first place.

Things which Urahara-san, so sharp, had figured out in an instant.

Incidents which had hurt her more than she could have imagined.

Circumstances she had fallen into, and couldn't climb out.

Her mind blanked of happy thoughts when she remembered what her life had been back in Soul Society.

Why she had fought them all- her friends, her Captain, her fellow comrades- to let her, a high-ranked Soul Reaper, an heir of a Royal Household, go to the Human World.

Why her closest friend, Uryu, had left her a note asking her not to die. He hadn't even wished to meet her- still showing his disapproval over her choice, no doubt.

But this guy...He was waiting for an answer. He still carried his trademark scowl with defiance, but she could see the expectancy that loomed under those chocolate-brown eyes.

She couldn't possibly tell _him_ of all people.

Inside, she was crying.

She smiled.

"Ah, that's all boring stuff! Instead, I'll tell you about Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san's love story!"

Ichigo grimaced. He didn't want to hear a sappy _love_ story. But Urahara's name caught his attention. The creepy guy. Him, he would like to hear about. The weird person Orihime probably had a crush on. What was so great about such an old guy, anyway?

The other name was new to him.

"Who the hell is Yoruichi?"

Orihime smiled brightly. "Urahara-san's cat!"

"...Wait, what?" He had to be imagining things.

Orihime faltered. "Um, I'll start from the beginning, so listen closely!"

"A long time ago, much before I was born, Urahara-san was a talented Soul Reaper. He trained hard, and he possessed exceptional skill. One day, he was promoted to be a Lieutenant. It wasn't much of a surprise, everyone said that he had it in him to be a Captain someday in the future.," Orihime paused. "See, Ichigo-kun, Soul Reapers are divided into 13 Divisions. Each division had a Captain, and a Lieutenant under him, and around 30 other members."

Ichigo nodded. In some corner of his mind, he realized he wouldn't mind it if Orihime would drop the -kun from his name. But maybe that was pushing it.

"When he was promoted to Lieutenant, it was in a different Division. His Captain was Yoruichi-san. She was the princess of the Shihoin Clan, one of the Royal Households. She was also the Commander of the Stealth Force, and she was a much respected figure besides."

"Under Yoruichi-san's tutelage, Urahara-san learned many things. But above all, he learned to love."

Ichigo cringed. That sounded way too corny. Orihime giggled. "I'm sorry! I couldn't resist. Urahara-san used the same words when he told me, and I thought it was so romantic."

"So they fell in love, but since Yoruichi-san was the only heir to a Royal Household, and Urahara-san was a commoner, they could never have been together. Their relationship just couldn't have been accepted. Of course, things are more lax now. In fact, one of my friends' sister, though she was a commoner, married a noble. The Elders of the Clan did oppose their marriage, but they eventually accepted it. In Yoruichi-san's case, the Elders would probably have murdered Urahara-san and not thought twice about it. So, they ran away to the Human World."

This evoked a reaction from Ichigo. "Why'd they have to run away? Don't Soul Reapers have the freedom to marry who they want to?"

This surprised Orihime. "Of course, but some people just can't be together, right? Society does lay down certain restrictions," She paused for a moment. "Like for a Soul Reaper and a human."

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END

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Just kidding.

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"He's dead, isn't he?"

"Did someone call an ambulance?"

"Don't be stupid! It's _Ichigo_, for God's sake."

"Yeah, and how the hell did he get knocked out by a girl?"

"Speaking of which...where did Orihime go?"

"Tatsuki, I saw her run off with no explanation."

"Really? I wonder why she slapped Ichigo...He must've been a jerk as usual..."

"The ambulance is here!"

"Which hospital is it, anyway?"

"Dunno, does it matter? But, I think it's owned by some guy called Ishida..."

*Elsewhere*

Ichigo, to Orihime: So, let me get this straight. In Soul Society, this Yoruichi was a Princess.

Orihime: Uh-huh!

Ichigo: ...And a Soul Reaper.

Orihime: That's right!

Ichigo:...And a member of some Stealth Force, you said?

Orihime: Yes, but...Ichigo-kun, why are you asking me all this? I already told you.

Ichigo: You bunch of freaks!

Orihime: Eh?

Ichigo: Weirdos! And Urahara's the worst of them all! Loved her, my ass!

Orihime: W-what?

Ichigo: Yeah, you heard me! Who the hell falls in love with a _CAT_, for God's sake?

Orihime: Eto...That _is_hard to explain. . . .

END (no, really.)

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A/N:

I'm not gonna threaten you. I'm not even gonna plead.

All I ask is, if you like this story, want to read more, bestow a review upon me, and thy wish shall be granted.

Oh, and you should have figured it out- Orihime's 'friend' in the last chapter was Uryu Ishida.

Next Update: Probably a month. Summer break is ON, and that should mean more time to write. I think.

Tell me in your review if you have an account on ... and want to add me. I read novels as well, The Alchemist and The Catcher in the Rye are two of my favorite books of all time.

Yaaayyy for GIN NO SAJI!


	6. Star of Vega

A/N: Hi there! Thanks a lot for all the great reviews! There's nothing like opening my inbox after a long and shitty day and finding it full of lovely comments from you guys!

Ah~~~ makes me happy to be alive!

I'm really, really, trying not to disappoint. Please send me any suggestions you think will make this fic better.

Thanks to

himelove22, chuchootrain, Hakkyou no Yami, saveme57, AbaraiArekushisu, Goddess of Night Eternal Faith, Shadowfreddy, DreamStar14, nypsy, Zanbandia, The0Blind0Writer, greyearth07, XBluexFlamingoX, smartkid360, Arctic Cheatah, yoyogigi125, MeggzieofHyrule, , marc

Ah, special thanks to the first foreign review I received, Shadowfreddy- it took me to new levels of happiness! Sob~~

And, The0Blind0Writer, I know that you had to go through added trouble to read my fic. It really makes me happy that you still did.

_ X x X x X x X x_

Soggyfrenchfries presents

Bleach: Redone

Chapter 6

Star of Vega

"Come on, Ichigo-kun! We're almost there!"

"I hope you have a plan. We can't just waltz in there, wake me up, then leave, you know," Ichigo said, hurrying to catch up with Orihime. Tessai had dropped them off in his truck just outside the hospital, and now they were hurrying along its halls, searching for Ichigo's human body. "And how do you know they haven't pronounced me dead yet?"

His idiot friends had, it turned out, called an ambulance after Orihime left. Of course, they hadn't known any better, but things had turned a lot more complicated because of that; and he would have a lot of explaining to do. Orihime didn't seem the slightest bit fazed by the current situation, though. She had made some calls when Urahara told them that they should leave before nightfall, and requested Tessai to give them a lift to Karakura General Hospital.

Ichigo was still in his battered Soul Reaper outfit, bandages covering his torso. His sword hung over his shoulder; Orihime had retrieved it from Sakura Park.

"Ah! Here we are!" Orihime came to a stop in front of a door. It wasn't a patients' ward- quite the opposite.

A large placard above the door proclaimed,

**Director- Ryuuken Ishida  
**

Ichigo stopped in his tracks. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?"

Orihime knocked on the door and waited. "Excuse me, Ishida-san?" she asked politely.

No answer.

Ichigo snorted. "He must be sleeping. Come on, let's go-"

"Ishida-san? I called you a while ago. . . My name is Orihime Inoue, and I'm from Soul Society."

Ichigo nearly had a fit. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?" He whispered frantically. "Do you want them to admit you for being mentally disturbed or something?"

A sudden voice from inside the room made Ichigo jump.

"Come in."

Orihime turned to Ichigo and smiled. He gave her a frown in return.

She turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. She went in. After a pause, Ichigo followed.

"_It's not like he can see me anyway. . . ."_

At the desk, a rather serious-looking bespectacled man was seated. His hair was white and hung slightly below his ears.

He was smoking.

He appraised Orihime as she walked in with a rather bored look. Then he spoke, and his words had a huge impact. "I don't sleep in my office, you know."

There was a pregnant pause.

Then slowly, Orihime turned to give Ichigo a meaningful look.

"Oh! You . . . you're talking to me?" He stared at him disbelievingly. He turned to Orihime. "Hey. . .What the hell is going on?"

"I've been acquainted with Ishida-san before."

"How did _that _happen? Why can he see me?" Then a sudden thought came to his head. "You. . .you're not like _her,_ are you?" He said, motioning towards Orihime.

Ryuuken's eyes narrowed. "A Soul Reaper? Hardly."

Tension boiled up in the room. Ichigo's antagonistic gaze never left Ryuuken's, who was giving him a particularly menacing look.

"Ummm. . . Ishida-san! We won't take up much of your time, so. . ."

Ryuuken turned to her. "Very well, then. He's in ward 786. It's on the 3rd floor."

Orihime bowed deeply. "I can't thank you enough. . ." She nudged Ichigo.

"Huh? Oh, right . . . Thanks, I guess." Then after a moment's pause. "What _are_ you, anyway?"

"Ichigo-kun!"

"Oh, that's all right, Inoue-san." Ryuuken had stood up and crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. "Measly little substitute Soul Reapers must be educated about those which are superior to them!"

He cleared his throat. "Though we Quincy are superior to Soul Reapers in a way you would not be able to imagine . . . Though we would have surpassed you if we had survived!" He pointed at Ichigo, who was taken aback by the sudden melodramatic speech being directed at him. "You are looking at the _Last Quincy!_"

Orihime quickly broke in. "Ishida-san! That's terrible!" She looked indignant. "What about your-"

"Silence. I won't be questioned, Inoue-san. I am the last Quincy left in this world, and that is all. You may leave now." He sat back down, and lit another cigarette, not attempting to hide the fact that he didn't have anything to do but smoke.

"You Bastard!" Ichigo's fury unleashed on the man he barely knew. "Don't talk to Inoue like that!"

Suddenly, Orihime coughed. She covered her mouth, and swallowed. But she coughed again. And again. She had a coughing fit. "E-Excu-use me. . ." She managed to choke out. But it didn't stop. There was silence in the room, apart from the deep coughs which rocked her body back and forth.

Ryuuken's eyes widened, and the hostile atmosphere around him disappeared.

Ichigo was surprised at Orihime's fit. "Oi, what's wro-"

"Forgive me." Ryuuken quickly crushed his cigarette- the second within a few minutes- and stood up. Walking over to the water cooler, he filled up a glass of water and handed it to Orihime. She took it with a trembling hand. "Th-thank y-you. . ."

Ryuuken's eyes never left Orihime as she sipped the water, bit by bit; which irked Ichigo.

"You should have said something before. I wouldn't have smoked."

"Ah. . .No, it's fine. . ." Orihime finished gulping down the water. Her coughing subsided. "But really, Ishida-san. . .How can you disregard your own family like that?"

There is really no need to mention that Ichigo was completely lost at this point.

Ryuuken remained silent. Orihime went on. "Won't you ask about your son? He came here, you know. I _know _that you know!"

"It's been years . . . Don't you want to see what he looks like?" Orihime was almost in tears. "He . . . He looks so much like you, Ishida-san . . . And your father? He misses you as well, you know. . .Even though I haven't seen him for quite some time. . .In Soul Society, he was always thinking about you. . ."

"A Quincy. . .Does not make a living. It isn't a lucrative career." Ryuuken's face was completely unreadable. His glasses reflected light, shielding his eyes from view.

Orihime thrust the plastic cup towards Ichigo, who held on to it. She took both of Ryuuken's hands in hers, an act which surprised both men present.

"I know that you're lonely, Ishida-san. Even if you don't talk about it. . .Even if you act like you don't care a bit. . .No person in the world could be happy that their family is so far away. . ."

Ryuuken cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave now."

Ichigo expected Orihime to protest, so was surprised when she bowed to Ryuuken and started to leave. He looked her departing back, and glanced at Ryuuken. He had collapsed back into his chair and was staring at the ceiling.

So much for this conversation.

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By the time Ichigo exited the office, Orihime was already turning around the hallway. He had to run to catch up to her, and when he did, she barely spared him a glance.

"Upstairs," she said when they reached the end of the corridor. Ichigo followed her closely, his gaze fixed on her back. He wanted to ask her, but at the same time. . .

It ad suddenly dawned on him again, just like the other night, the fact that she had a life outside their current situation. That Director guy seemed to know more about Orihime than he did.

And maybe it was just a stupid hunch, but there seemed to be something hidden between the lines of those two's conversation.

It bothered him more than he cared to admit.

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By the time they left the hospital and got back to Ichigo's house, it was already 10 PM. "My old man's gonna have a fit when I walk in," Ichigo groaned.

Orihime gave him a surprised look. "Oh, did I forget to tell you? Ichigo-kun, I called your father and told them that you would be late coming home."

Ichigo stopped in his tracks. "When the hell did you do that?"

"While you were unconscious at Urahara-san's place."

"Uh, and, what exactly did you tell him?" Ichigo tried to not let the nervousness show in his voice. He did not want his father to get any wrong ideas, or he'd never hear the end of it. . . .

"Oh, Ichigo-kun, don't worry! I only told him that I was your classmate, and that we were going to a karaoke bar! See, I handled everything alright, didn't I? Oh, but I didn't even know when you would wake up, so I told him that we might be out all night!"

Orihime wrinkled her eyebrows when she caught the look of pure horror that Ichigo was giving her. "Oh. . . .Did I do something wrong? See, Tatsuki-chan lent me some manga, and in it, the main characters go to a place called a Karaoke Bar and come home in the morning after staying in some sort of Hotel-"

"Shit. . . ."

Ichigo clutched his head in his hands and sat down on the pavement. He sure would have some explaining to do. . . .

"Ichigo-kun?" Orihime now looked worried. "Did I do something wrong?"

Ichigo uncovered his face and looked up at her. "It's not your fault, Inoue," He gritted his teeth. _"I'll have to have a word with that damn Tatsuki . . ."_

"If you're sure . . . . I'll be going home then . . . . "

Her words distracted Ichigo's thoughts of his father throwing boxes of condoms at him, and he turned towards her.

"Home?"

"The apartment I rented out. It's close to here, remember?"

"What about my closet?"

She smiled at him. It was a sad smile. "Your closet won't get lonely without me. Also, the sky is clear tonight. There won't be any Hollows, Ichigo-kun. Trust me."

She gave a small wave and turned around. Ichigo watched her back as it disappeared off into the distance.

A small part inside Ichigo realized that it wasn't his closet who would be lonely without her.

He got up from the pavement and started towards the front door. It was time to face the music. . . .

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Keigo latched onto Ichigo the moment he walked into class. "Ichigo! Good morning!"

Even after he shook him off, Keigo followed him around persistently. "You know what day it is, right?"

"Don't know, don't care," Ichigo muttered, setting his school bag on his desk.

"You're kidding! Didn't you see the decorations on the way to school?" Keigo was practically bursting with excitement. "It's _Tanabata_!"

"The Star Festival? Oh yeah, it's July 7th. . ." Ichigo suddenly remembered the colourful hangings and lights all over the city. He hadn't given the decorations much thought, but his eyes had certainly passed over them.

"We're going, right? We're going!" Keigo jumped around. "And, Ichigo, since you're so close with Inoue-san, you have to make her come!"

"Oi! Who said I was close to her?"

Keigo gave a very annoying laugh. "Come on, Ichigo, everyone knows about yesterday. She asked you out didn't she?"

"No! D-Definitely not!" Shit. Ichigo had forgotten all about that. But Orihime had mentioned that she had asked Urahara-san to wipe the memory of those people who had seen Ichigo unconscious and called the ambulance. So she didn't bother to erase the part where she slapped him and broke down crying?

"Hehehe. . .You don't have to lie to me, Ichigo. But what does she see in you. . .A girl like that. . .It breaks my heart!"

At that moment, Orihime walked into the classroom, chatting animatedly with Tatsuki.

Tatsuki saw Ichigo and made for his desk. "Are you guys going to the Festival tonight?" She asked, looking from Keigo to Ichigo.

Before Ichigo had opened his mouth, Keigo replied with great enthusiasm. "Yeah! Ichigo, Mizuiro, and I are all meeting by the river at 7!"

"Oh, you are?" Tatsuki asked thoughtfully, as Orihime joined them near Ichigo's desk. "Then should we all go together?"

"Inoue-san too?" Questioned Keigo, trying to keep his voice normal.

"I'd like to come," Orihime said, smiling. "I haven't attended a Tanabata Festival in this worl-"

"Inoue!" Ichigo cut across her before she could complete the very suspicious-sounding sentence. Keigo and Tatsuki stared at him while Orihime blushed and covered her mouth with her hands.

"What is it, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked, curiously.

"Um. . .I mean. . .I reall think Inoue should come! Yeah, that's it!" He finished lamely, before bursting into short, forced, fits of laughter.

"Eto. .Of course! I'll definitely come, Ichigo-kun! Hahaha!" She joined him with her own awkward laughter.

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"Where are they?" Ichigo sat down on the river bank. The sounds of the ongoing festival being held on the other side occupied the air that night. Mizuiro was texting on his cell phone, while Keigo swayed around him, trying to read his messages.

"Hey, hey, I want to see Inoue-san in a Kimono!" Keigo was practically jumping with excitement.

"Tch. . .Who cares about that?" He really didn't want to come. But on this side of the river, things were relatively calm. The stalls were on the other side, and people rushed about- young girls and women in colorful Kimono, men accompanying them.

"Are you kidding? This is a festival! Nose-bleeds when looking at the girls wearing Kimonos! That is the essence of youth!"

"Get outta my way!" A foot landed on Keigo's unfortunate back and he was knocked away.

"Hey, Tatsuki. You're late." Ichigo greeted her as she smoothed down the fabric of her Yukata. It was white, with Blue butterflies scattered across the fabric. She looked quite decent, almost feminine.

And next to her, was Orihime. "Good evening!" she chirped. Her hair was done into a half-bun of sorts, with stray strands lying on her shoulders. Mauve flowers adorned the midnight-blue shade of the Yukata she wore.

"Oh, Inoue-san looks so lovely!" Keigo almost sang, eyes straying to the area above the sash.

Before Tatsuki could react, Ichigo had knocked Keigo away, and he lay on the ground, cowering about how he couldn't even appreciate the essence of youth.

"Don't mind that idiot," Ichigo growled, turning to face Orihime. He looked her up and down. In a shocked tone, he said, "It suits you."

"Well, duh! Ichigo, you really don't know how to compliment a lady!" Tatsuki scolded.

Orihime half-smiled, not quite sure if she was being complimented or not. "Well, At home, I always wore Yukata in the summers."

"Ehh? Is that true?" Tatsuki turned to Ichigo. "Hey, Ichigo, doesn't Orihime give off the impression of being from a really traditional and rich family?"

"Huh? Uh. . . I don't-" Ichigo didn't know anything at all about that.

"No! That's really not the case!" Orihime cut across him, flailing her arms wildly. "Tatsuki-chan! You're embarrassing me!"

They roamed the grounds, visiting all the stalls, and becoming part of the rest of the Tanabata crowd. They separated for short periods of time, but got back together to explore the remaining attractions.

"Wah! That's so pretty!" Orihime cried, when she caught sight of the bamboo braches which already had many pieces of colorful paper tied to them.

"Can we write our wishes now?" Keigo asked, looking around.

Many people were still in the process of penning down their wishes. Giggling girls, hoping for love; stern-faced fathers, wishing for the health of their children- all sorts of people had come to wish.

Tatsuki approached a stall where a woman gave them each a paper and a pen to write their wishes down.

"Hey, there's one extra. . .Ichigo, don't you want one?"

"What'll I do with a wish?" Ichigo grumbled. "It's for girls anyway."

"Ichigo-kun, don't be like that! There must be something you want, right?" Orihime asked, a tone of worry in her voice. Ichigo looked at her. Oh, if only she would stop looking at him with those delicate grey eyes-

_Get a hold of yourself!  
_

"Fine! I'll do it!" Ichigo reluctantly snatched the paper offered to him. What should he write?

He had once wished that he couldn't see ghosts. _But do I still want that?_

As he thought of a wish, he watched Orihime write hers down. She bit her lip in the process and pursed her eyebrows together- not unlike himself, he thought.

She walked over to the bamboo branches, chose one closest to her, and tied it. She smiled with satisfaction when the knot was secure.

Turning to his own paper, he thought of what he wanted the most in the world. Nothing came.

"Ichigo-kun?" Orihime was looking up at him now. "Can't you think of a wish?"

"No. . .I can't really think of anything right now. . ."

"Then. . .Is there anything you don't want to lose?"

"Something I don't want to lose?"

Orihime explained. "Why don't you write down something that you want to keep, at all costs?"

"That's not a wish." Ichigo scowled at this useless advice he was being given.

"That's not a _greedy _wish, you mean."

Ichigo sighed and stared at the paper. Orihime drifted away, and was talking cheerfully with a vendor. Watching her laugh, it came to him.

He leaned down on the counter, and wrote his wish. As he tied it on to the bamboo branch, his eyes strayed and he read a few others which had been recently tied.

_._

_Heart-soaring romance,_

_With my closest friend, I wish to dance._

.

Ichigo threw a disgusted look at that one. It was cheesy and sappy.

.

_I wish for my family,_

_Their health and prosperity._

_I wish for myself,_

_That I may keep them happy._

.

Huh. This one was a little better. Probably a young father's desire.

.

_Time after time, the seasons go._

_My time gets shorter with each blow._

_All I want is to live,_

_But God says no._

_._

Ichigo paused. He suddenly felt as though he had intruded about an extremely private thing. He turned away from the bamboo branch. Wasn't there a superstition that if other people read your wish, it wouldn't come true? He had to forget about it. Yeah, that was right. He had to forget, and it would come true.

Keigo pulled him along soon after, trying to get him to buy an alien mask from a stall.

Orihime was walking around with Tatsuki. "What do they do with all the wishes?" She wanted to know.

"They set them afloat on the river around midnight. Hey, Ichigo! " She cried, catching sight of him. "The fireworks are about to start, can we go somewhere less crowded?"

The gang headed back to the opposite side of the river bank, where it was much more peaceful. "I think we'll get a good view from here," Mizuiro said, looking at the sky above.

They sat down and waited.

Orihime raised her head and looked up at the sky. The Crescent Moon dominated, casting its elegant glow around itself. The stars were especially bright; each determined to outshine the others.

"The sky is beautiful tonight, isn't it?" She remarked, and Ichigo, who was closest to her, was the only one who heard.

"What? Oh yeah, you're right."

She smiled at him, and when he met her gaze, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Hey, look up!" Tatsuki's cry could be heard only for a fraction of a second before the sky exploded with noise and color.

Orihime jumped up and clapped her hands, enthralled by the extravagant fireworks display. Ichigo's eyes stayed on her throughout. While everyone marveled at the fireworks, he marveled at her.

Perhaps seeing someone in the night sky effects the way you look at them. Perhaps he had had too much to drink. Perhaps it was moon magic.

But to him, she was like a star all by herself.

The things she said, the words, they all had a glow around them. It was all around her, a sort of light. Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Shining. Sparkling.

A ray of light among the darkness.

She was blinding.

A star.

Orihime.

Vega.

Tanabata.

He wished these days would last forever.

_X x_ X

A/N: Thoroughly unsatisfying, wasn't it? I thought to add the Tanabata bit at the last second, in an attempt to keep the fic in-season and all. Hopefully that'll make me less lazy.

Perhaps you should read up on Tanabat- The story of the Princess and The Weaver. Most Ichihime fans are already familiar with it, but if you're not, check out the wiki page.

Before the next chapter, I'm going to be writing something else. I already have the rough ready, but I thought I should finish this one first.

Later this month-

Ulquiorra and Ichigo get into a heated argument over who Orihime should choose.

Pure humour/crack.

Romance(?).

No story/plot.

One-shot.

Argument between two inexplicably hot men over a certain auburn haired girl.

Featuring unwanted cameo by yours truly.

Put me on Author Alert if you're interested.

I really want to hit 100 reviews with this chapter. Make my dream come true, okay?


	7. A Grand Reunion

A/N: Thanks to Hakkyou no Yami, airi-07, nypsy, , saveme57 , thesearemyconfessions, BaS23 , PoeticNonsenseNinjaStyle, ShortFingerNails , AbaraiArekushisu , ChaosChronicler , Karaso, KrispyDonuts, MysterySky8, the0blind0writer, Chewie Cookies, ranipaki , for reviewing. Each and every comment makes my day.

I started a new Ichihime fic titled '_Words'_. It's M-rated . . . . Those of you who are 16+, check it out!

This is still my priority though.

**XxXxXxXx**

**Soggyfrenchfries Presents  
**

**Bleach: Redone  
**

**Chapter 7  
**

**A Grand Reunion  
**

Blood trailed from her lips onto the floor. It tasted of copper, and made her feel like throwing up again. Her powers were finally starting to come back to her. She could probably use low-level kido spells now, but would have to wait a while more for her zanpakuto to materialize.

She coughed again. The blood built up in her mouth, and she forced herself to swallow it. It was so unpleasant. . . How was it possible that a substance which flowed so freely inside her body would taste so terrible going back in?

She swallowed, and clamped her mouth shut.

She wouldn't let it come out, she would stop it, she would be fine, she would go back to normal, and the pain would stop. . .She prayed silently, her eyes closed and lips pursed. 

No such luck.

It came back up her throat, and her mouth was full of it. She couldn't resist anymore. She opened her mouth and vomited out the thick red blood into the toilet.

Orihime was kneeling against the lavatory. Her knees were set firmly on the white tiled floor, and her hands pushed her hair away from her face.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she closed her eyes tightly.

She had been prepared for the return of her condition along with her powers. However, vomiting out blood is not something anyone can get used to.

That which had tormented her in Soul Society, and in Karakura, until she had at last lost everything to Ichigo. . . . The result of her run-in with that disgusting creature which had poisoned her, pierced her with its toxins, determined to kill, until her brother had saved her. . . .

But in the end, all had been in vain.

Her eyes stung, and she hastily rubbed them with the back of her hands, trying to stop the outflow of tears. 

Hadn't she cried enough?

How many nights had she spent, weeping her eyes out until they were red and sore? The taste of her salty tears had dominated her mouth, and she knew nothing but depression.

Until her sorrow had evolved into resolve. Whereas she had cried before, she now trained. Her nights were no longer dizzy intervals of tears and headache, but of pushing limits and physical pain. 

And thus began her hunt. 

Suddenly, a sharp pain ran through her body. Her whole being shivered with a sickly feeling- familiar, and associated with dread. That pressure. . . It couldn't be. All the remaining colour drained from her face. She dragged herself over to the window, and with great difficulty, hoisted herself to look outside. 

There was nothing there.

She could have sworn that she had felt it. . . Yes, there was no mistaking that horrible feeling that always preceded _its _appearance.

She couldn't face _him_ in such a condition. She panicked. No Zanpakuto to fight with, she didn't have enough Spiritual Pressure for the effective Kido. . . . There was Ichigo, but this was supposed to be _her _fight, it had nothing to do with him at all. . . . .

As the feeling subsided, Orihime breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps she still had time. . . .

Orihime picked herself off the floor. She dusted down her gray skirt, and wiped at her mouth one last time, examining her hands for signs of blood.

It was time for school. 

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

M 

Ichigo walked slowly, repeatedly checking the roughly-drawn map Orihime had given him. Even while considering that she had scribbled it in haste, it was a crappy jumble of drawings and nonsensical directions.

Coming across an apartment building which somewhat resembled Orihime's sketch, he took a chance and approached the entrance.

A slight movement caught his eye. He turned. Half-hidden behind a lamp post, a faint silhouette of a man hovered.

"What the-?"

Surprised, Ichigo rubbed his eyes and checked again. 

Nothing.

As he looked around for the man, it dawned on him that he must have been a soul. Ichigo resolved to tell Orihime about her so that they could perform a Soul Burial.

He entered the building and began to climb the stairs. The first floor, she had said. He approached the door and heaved a sigh of relief when he read the nameplate. He rang the bell.

A muffled voice floated through the door. "It's open!"

A little miffed, Ichigo turned the handle and pushed the door. It was, indeed, open. He stepped inside the hallway and closed the door behind him. It seemed like a standard one-bedroom apartment.

"Inoue?" He called out.

"Just a sec!" Came her reply, a little harried. She emerged from the kitchen, a piece of toast in her mouth and frantically running a hairbrush through her auburn tresses. The other free hand pulled up a sock, limping around until she finally got it all the way up.

His eyebrows went up at the sight of her. It was a miracle she hadn't fallen on her face yet.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sit down, Ichigo-kun, I'll just take a minute." She gestured towards the living room and disappeared back into the bathroom.

Ichigo stepped inside the living room. There was a low table and mats to sit on. Instead of sitting, he put his bag down and looked around.

It was so traditionally decorated. . . . There were so many flower arrangements, on the floor, on small tables in corners, in bamboo vases of varying colors. The window was open, so that light and heat filled the room. The wind blew placidly and Ichigo's nose was treated to an array of scents- subtle and pleasant- from the fresh flowers.

A large, kanji clock hung on the wall. If they didn't hurry up, Ichigo noted, they would be late.

A small photograph on a small, high table caught his attention. The table, like everything else, seemed antique, with exquisitely detailed patterns on the legs. But that wasn't what interested Ichigo. Feeling a sudden surge of curiosity, he got on his feet and walked over to where the table stood. The photograph, encased in a wooden frame, was of a young man and a younger, auburn-haired girl.

Ichigo picked it up to examine it closely.

They were both smiling; the man had one arm around Orihime. A green background surrounded the two and they seemed to be in a lawn of some sort. The sunny weather complimented the expressions the two wore.

Ichigo recognized the man's outfit to be something similar to what Orihime had worn when they had first met, but with a white haori over it.

"Ichigo-kun, I'm re-" Her voice trailed off and she stopped in her tracks as her gaze travelled to the picture in Ichigo's hand. He hastily replaced it. When she remained silent and wide-eyed, he decided to speak.

"Is that. . . . your brother?"

"Yes. That's Sora."

"I'm . . . sorry. . ." Ichigo lowered his head a little.

"No. . .It's not something you should apologize for. . ."

A question lingered on Ichigo's lips, but he bit it back into his throat. Orihime sensed an unspoken curiosity.

She smiled, as though reading his mind. "Aren't you going to ask me how it happened?"

Ichigo could see quite plainly that the smile didn't reach her eyes. Her lips were turned upward, but there was no sign of laughter on her face. Something else hid behind those probing, gray eyes. She had told him once before, briefly . . . about how she had trained when she died,

"No," Ichigo said firmly. It was none of his business, he told himself.

They stared at each other in silence.

"I'm not saying I don't want to know," Ichigo said, breaking the stillness. "I don't have any right to question you about that."

"But if talking about something's gonna give you so much pain. . . . I won't ask." He spun around and picked up his school bag. He turned back to look at her, his gaze softening. "So . . . I'll wait. Until_ you_ choose to tell me about it."

Orihime's hand rose to her cover her mouth, and her eyes widened in shock. She closed her eyes and gulped. Ichigo thought he saw tears welling at the corners.

Embarassed, he took a step towards her. "Oi, don't-"

Orihime, still clutching her mouth, pushed Ichigo aside as she ran past him. He dropped his bag.

"Hey!" Ichigo followed her out the living room, and saw that she had disappeared into the bathroom. An unmistakable noise resounded from the closed door a few moments later.

"Inoue!" Walking swiftly over to the bathroom door, he thumped on it. There was another retching noise, followed by silence. "Inoue! Are you alright?" He could hear deep, shaky breaths, and then the sound of a toilet being flushed.

Ichigo waited, sweat drops appearing on his forehead. _What the hell was wrong with her?_

After a few moments, the bathroom door opened with a click. It swung open to reveal _her_, slightly red-eyed and breathing hard.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. . . " She refused to meet his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"I think I ate something funny last night . . . Don't worry, Ichigo-kun, its just food poisoning!" She gave a feeble sort of smile.

"Are you really-" Ichigo was cut off by a startled noise as Orihime ran past him to the living room. Checking the Kanji clock, she cried out. "We're _late_!"

In few minutes, Ichigo and Orihime were walking down the street at a decent pace. Ichigo downright refused to run and Orihime gave in without much protest, apologizing constantly for taking so much time and delaying them.

Eager to change the topic, Ichigo cut across her. "Nice apartment."

"Eh? Well, I wasn't too fussy about choosing. . . I took the first one offering a month-long lease. The real estate agent told me that most would only allow three-month leases."

Ichigo almost stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong with a three-month lease? How long do you plan on staying?"

Orihime giggled. "I don't _plan_ anything. . . But I won't linger once my powers are back."

"Why not?"

"Huh?" Orihime looked at him, but he was staring straight ahead. He didn't really look like he cared, but for the sake of making conversation.

"Why won't you linger? Aren't you the Soul Reaper in charge of Karakura?" There was a definite edge to his voice.

Orihime hesitated before answering. Just how much should she reveal?

_Its best not to get Ichigo-kun involved. . . .  
_

"I'm not, really. Usually such tasks are performed by low-leveled Soul Reapers. I requested a transfer to the Human World." She took a deep breath and looked up at the blue expanse, shielding her eyes from the sum with one hand.

No matter how different the two worlds were. . . .The sky was the same. Blue and eternal.

A constant reminder that she still had something she had to do.

"That's weird. Didn't you like it there?" Now he looked kind of perplexed.

With his eyebrows furrowed together like they always were, that permanent frown on his face, he looked _confused. _Orihime couldn't help herself. She giggled.

"What is it?" Now he looked curious. This was even more comical. Orihime let out a huge burst of laughter. Watching him look befuddled was fast turning into a hobby. "Your face is so- so. . _. _so_ funny_, Ichigo-kun!"

"Huh? That's. . . .That's. . . Don't laugh at me!" Ichigo looked pissed, and the slightest red tint appeared on his cheeks. Orihime laughed even louder, and skipped ahead of Ichigo. Ichigo watched as she jogged ahead. "Hey! Wait up!"

Orihime paused and turned around. Ichigo couldn't help noticing that there was nothing but delight in her expression. Her hair blew behind her in the breeze, long auburn locks swaying so gently. "If we don't run now, Ichigo-kun, we're going to be _late_!"

She took off again, running lightly on the road. Ichigo, not wanting to be left behind, gave in and ran to catch up with her. She smiled as he did, but did not lower her pace. "Inoue- we look like a couple of idiots!"

She flashed him a reprimanding look. "Do you _want_ to be late, Ichigo-kun?"

"I don't really care one way or the other. But I refuse to run like this to school." He stopped in his tracks and grabbed Orihime's arm. "Tell you what. . . .Let's walk till that corner, and _then_ we can run."

Orihime mulled over his proposition before nodding. They set of at a slow pace.

"Hey, Ichigo-kun. . . "

"What?"

"Summer Holidays are going to start soon, right?"

"Yup, today's the last day."

"Ehhh? I totally forgot!"

"Didn't you also forget to lock your front door?"

"Oh! But that was a mistake. I really, really forgot! I mean, I got home so late last night, and I was so sleepy-"

"Don't tell me you slept with you front door unlocked!"

"Ne, Ichigo-kun it doesn't matter anyway, since nothing happened!"

"You idiot! What if their was a burglar-or - or-"

"But last night was fun, right?"

"Huh? I guess. . ."

"The fireworks were so pretty!"

"Were they? I didn't notice. . . .What did you wish for, Inoue?"

For a fraction of a second, her expression fell dark. And then, she was the same, smiling as she answered, "If I tell, it won't come true!"

"You want it that badly, huh. . . ."

"I do." He voice was quiet.

Ichigo realised that he too wanted his wish to be fulfilled. It was strange that he hadn't thought of it until Orihime had spoken.

_I want to be able to protect what I have.  
_

He had failed once, but he wouldn't again. Now, he had the power to fight for them all.

They continued their chatter this way, running at regular intervals, making Ichigo grumble and Orihime giggle. But at certain moments, when she would laugh, or smile, or the breeze would toss her hair around, Ichigo would stare wordlessly. If Orihime had observed that recurring expression, she would have marveled about how a person could look so pleasant with a permanent frown on their face.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

What the teacher was teaching on the board failed to register. 

Orihime just couldn't concentrate.

Se moved around in her seat repeatedly, causing Ichigo to glance over many times. Her stomach hurt. A string of panicked thoughts dominated her head. What if she had to throw up again? What if-

Interrupting her internal monologue, as well as Ochi-sensei's lecture, causing the whole class to fall silent for a moment- Her cell phone beeped. Not that it was a cell phone, but she _could_ make calls from it, but the correct term was- Oh, forget it. The phone was beeping louder now, and it was getting to her.

Ignoring the startled looks of her classmates, she rummaged around in her bag for the device. Her stomach was killing her; she thought she might die if this kept up. Not that she'd mind dying, but she still had something to do before she went.

She fumbled with the keys, and when she finally read the request, all hell broke loose inside her mind.

She jumped out of her seat and ran towards the door. Looking back at a pissed Ochi-sensei, she said, "Medical Room!" In a second she was gone, leaving her classmates in confusion.

"Ah-hem!" Ochi-sensei silenced the class with one scathing look. Looking around at the sea of excited faces, she said, "Now that no-one else seems to be having a medical emergency, turn your books to-"

Ichigo stood up then.

"Kurosaki?"

Without a backward glance, he ran. One decent thing Orihime had done was to leave the door open behind her.

He didn't bother to shut it, either.

Again, with an absolute sense of Déjà vu, Ochi-sensei looked at the class. They stared back at her.

Keigo waved his hand around with an intensity that surprised no-one. "Sensei! I have a terrible headache! I need to go to the med-"

The teacher brought an encyclopedia down on his head. "You're not going anywhere!"

"HUH? TEACHER FAVORITISM, I TELL YOU!"

**XxXxXxxXxXxXxX**

Orihime could hardly run. This human body was weak and tired easily. It wasn't the first time she had felt its limitations. She popped more Soma Fixer pills into her mouth. Urahara had warned her that the Gigai Synchronization pills could be poisonous in large quantities, but right now she didn't care. No logic existed in her head. She could feel _it_, long before the request came. This was what she had waited for, the one Hollow she intended to finish.

It dawned on her that she could hardly fight. Kido. . .What could kido do? It wasn't enough. Nowhere near enough. This revelation did not slow her down- quite the opposite. She ran faster, with renewed energy. She would confront that. . .that _thing. _

Checking the co-ordinates on her phone, she turned left and was faced with a huge hill.

"Inoue!"

She turned around and immediately faltered. Why was he here? He came running towards her, out of breath. She hadn't sensed him follow her, her mind had been preoccupied. . . . He stopped.

"What- the- hell- is _wrong_?" Ichigo coughed out, in between breaths.

She never even considered asking him to come along. He had gotten hurt because of her carelessness before, and she was not an idiot to ask him to fight for her.

Besides, this was supposed to be _her _fight.

It was, simply, none of his business.

"Ichigo-kun. . . .Go back."

Throwing her a startled look, Ichigo's frown escalated. "Don't be an idiot! The Hollow-"

"Go back!"

Thrown off by her harsh tone, Ichigo faltered.

"It's none of your business." Orihime refused to meet his eyes. Her whole body was shaking and tiny droplets of sweat had formed on her forehead. "Go back!"

There was a moment of silence as Ichigo stared at her trembling figure. Then-

"STUPID!" Ichigo shouted. He couldn't help himself. "It became _my business_ when you gave me these powers! It's been _my business_ ever since then! So SHUT UP and let me fight, DAMMIT!"

Before she could reply, a sickly feeling struck Orihime, and a sudden nausea built up in her body.

She doubled over in pain, all while trying to move forward, towards the direction of the Hollow.

"Inoue . . . ." An inexplicable fear began to dawn on Ichigo as he saw her struggle. "What the hell is wrong?"

She panted slightly. Raising one shaky hand to point towards the hill, she said, "There- A Hollow. . ."

As he glanced over the hill, Ichigo realized, with a jolt; this was the way towards the cemetery where his mother was buried. They had made the trip just recently . . . Had it only been a month? Climbing the hill, every year with his family . . . .

"I-Ichigo-kun?" He snapped back to the present and turned to look at Orihime. Her breathing was shallow and rapid- though she was upright; she was still clutching her stomach loosely.

"Let's go," He said suddenly, grabbing her arm and pulling her along. Delaying their journey would only increase the pain. He paused. "Can you walk?" He inquired.

She smiled. "I can run."

Surprised by her determination, but impressed, he nodded.

They began to jog up the hill at a fast pace, and for a while, neither of them said anything. The only noise was Orihime's light breathing, and tension was high in the air. She looked worn out, but her eyes held a fire Ichigo had never seen before.

And when they had climbed, they were surrounded by stone monuments. Tranquil in it's essence, the graveyard invoked silence. Ichigo found himself automatically seeking out his mother's gravestone, but stopped. He was there for another reason. He turned to Orihime. "Inoue-"

She was frigid, staring out at the distance, eyes locked at a particular point. A shock of terror ran through him when he saw her expression. He followed her gaze, and off to the side where the grass was green and empty of tombs, he saw a man.

Ichigo's eyes scrunched up in concentration. It was a soul, the same one he had seen this morning next to Orihime's apartment. His back was towards them now, and he was dressed in what looked like a black hakama.

And then, he turned.

Ichigo recoiled in shock when he saw his face.

The photograph in Orihime's living room. The dark-haired man. 

It was him. 

He smiled then, and the action was eerie.

Every instinct screamed at Ichigo to get away, to _run_.

Slowly, Orihime's hand rose from beside her, to reach out to the man, but stopped mid-way. She hesitated, anguish evident on her face. Her fist clenched and her hand fell to her side. Her fingernails dug into the white flesh.

"Orihime," Her brother said, his voice warm and welcoming. For second Ichigo almost relaxed, but something deep inside him went against the idea of letting his guard down.

"NO!" Orihime cried out in response to her name. "Don't . . . . I know it's you . . . DON'T HIDE BEHIND HIS FACE!"

She was shaking now, but her voice was like steel as she shouted at him. Ichigo had never seen her like this. He had never seen her shout. It was unnerving.

"Inoue . . . What-"

"Grand Fisher," she said, her voice finally breaking. "Come to catch me onto his lure."

The man, who was at this point, still smiling, changed. In a second, his expression transformed. His eyes opened wider and grew a hungry look, his mouth opened far too wide and his tongue slipped out and licked his lips. He bared his teeth.

"I came for one," His voice was throaty and deep. "But there are two of you . . . . looks like I'm in for a treat!"

His words made a shiver run down Ichigo's spine. "What . . . "

"You came, girl. I knew you would. But this guy-" His eyes darted over to Ichigo. "He can see me? How tasty . . . ."

"DON'T! It's me . . .FIGHT ME! LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!"

"It looks like there won't be much fighting at all . . . . You're still suffering from _that _time, and this one here is just a human," He mocked. "What can _he_ do?"

"SHUT UP! And don't look like him! Don't . . . DON'T WEAR MY BROTHER'S FACE SO PROUDLY!"

"Oh, touchy . . . Fine, then . . . This is probably your last wish, after all."

The man spun around, and he his features distorted, his height shrunk, and his clothes changed. 

When the transformation was complete, Ichigo was left speechless. Standing in front of them was a young, black haired girl.

Déjà vu hit him like a brick, and air sapped from his throat. 

"You. . . YOU!" Now it was Orihime who was surprised, and Orihime who looked at Ichigo as he shouted.

Memories, memories Ichigo had tried so hard to forget, came back to him in a flood, causing short bursts of pain. "You . . . That night . . . Near the river . . ." He could hardly get the words out. "Six years ago!"

The girl looked thoughtful. "Six years ago? I don't remember that far back . . . ." Her lips twisted into an evil grin. "So you've seen me before . . ." Her smile escalated. "What did I do? Come on, tell me. I can't recall _all_of my victims, you know . . . ."

"MY MOTHER! You . . . . I. . . .MY MOTHER DIED THAT NIGHT!"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

A/N:

I'll **start** writing the next chapter when I hit 110 reviews. 76 people have me on alert, most of whom haven't reviewed yet. So this is your chance!

REVIEW!

A few days back, I opened a pack of Oreos, ate half of them, and put the rest into a jar. The next day I opened up the container and bit it into one.

It was soggy.

I considered changing my username.


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